Texas Silver-Haired Legislature Met in May
Peggy J. Dimmick, representing the Capitol Area Agency on Aging, met on the floor of the House of Representatives at the Texas State Capitol, May 2-5, to participate in the 19th Session of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature (TSHL).
TSHL members from across Texas participated in the Legislative Session and passed 54 of 71 resolutions representing issues that impact older Texans. Additionally, TSHL members voted on and ranked 10 priority resolutions which include the need to increase the personal needs allowance for Medicaid residents in Nursing facilities (of which she co-authored along with others); assure that grandparents raising grandchildren can obtain any SSI, SNAP, child support or other child-related income; increase the readability of the application and vote-by-mail documentation to reduce the rejection rate of such applications; and authorize the TRS to provide a cost-of-living-adjustment for its retirees.
The remaining of the top 10 resolutions addressed the requirement for a criminal background check for CNAs and LVNs in nursing homes and home health care companies, authorization of a 13th annuity check for ERS retirees, a grandparent conservatorship and support bill, improve access to healthcare in rural Texas, establish Full Practice Authority for APRNs, and increase the maximum rate of home-delivered meals for older Texans to $10.
Speaker Rhonda Rogers said, “TSHL will submit the 54 resolutions to the Texas Legislature in late summer and will work with individual legislators to advocate for legislation to address as many of these issues as we can get turned into actual bills.”
Peggy Joyce Dimmick, LTHCA, LVN, ALM, PCM attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos and earned a B.A.A.S. degree, emphasis in Long Term Healthcare Administration. Peggy is certified in Personal Care Management and Assisted Living Management from SWTSU School of Health Professionals. She worked as a Texas Licensed Vocational Nurse in earlier years and received her certification for Cancer Detection from M.D. Anderson Hospital. As a TSHL member she now serves the Capitol, Urban and Rural Areas which includes Bastrop, where she resides. Dimmick is on the Administrative Finance and Legislative Committees for more please visit www.TSHL. org .
The Texas Silver-Haired Legislature is a nonpartisan organization comprised of up to 123 Texans, 60 years or older, elected by and representing the 28 Texas Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Authorized by the 69th Texas Legislature in April 1985 to address the needs and concerns of older Texans through the legislative process, the full TSHL body meets in general session three times during the legislative biennium.