Contact
Mary Edwards for a
list of delegates
by county

Additional
Information

North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services

The Senior Tar Heel Legislature (STHL) held a tenth anniversary celebration luncheon on Tuesday, October 7, at noon to celebrate its years of service to older adults across North Carolina.

The agenda included Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, Karen Gottovi, former Director of the state Division of Aging and Adult Services, and Dorothy Crawford, Speaker of the STHL. Several other current and former officers from STHL, as well as several former Aging officials were also included on the agenda.

Since its inception, the STHL has made recommendations to the General Assembly on issued related to older adults. The delegates and alternates to the STHL have also undertaken a variety of activities in their counties to help inform and educate older citizens on matters before the General Assembly and to hear from people regarding their needs.

The STHL is a 2003 recipient of the Positive Images in Aging award presented by the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

The STHL was created by the General Assembly with the passage of Senate Bill 479 in July of 1993. The STHL was created to:

• Provide information to senior citizens on the legislative process and matters being considered by the General Assembly.
  
• Promote citizen involvement and advocacy concerning aging issues before the General Assembly.
  
• Assess the legislative needs of older citizens by convening a forum modeled after the General Assembly.

There is one delegate to the STHL from each of the 100 counties in the state. Most counties also have an alternate delegate. Delegates and alternates must be age 60 or older. The Division of Aging and Adult Services provides staff support for the STHL in cooperation with the 17 Area Agencies on Aging who are responsible for the selection of delegates and alternates. Since its inception in 1993, the STHL has been viewed as a visible and effective bi-partisan advocate for aging issues in the General Assembly. Successful advocacy efforts of the STHL have resulted in, among other things, increased funding for home and community based services targeted to frail older adults, expansion of the Homestead property tax exemption for low-income elderly and disabled persons, and the initiation of a limited prescription drug assistance program for low-income seniors.