Become a TSHL Member During Non-Election Cycles:
Appointment or Election
Requirements & Expectations
Determine if you meet the TSHL requirements and expectations
Candidate Form
Fill out the Candidate Information Form (Form 103)
AAA Office
Contact and submit your form to your local Area Agency on Aging office.
The TSHL Appointment or Election Process
Qualified individuals may be appointed or elected to the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature (TSHL) in between TSHL election cycles. (See How to Become a Texas Silver-Haired Legislator: Election Process.) If the associated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) does NOT have a full delegation of members, an election/appointment may be made without requesting an additional member. If the AAA has its full complement of members, the AAA Director, with the concurrence of the current TSHL members from that delegation, may ask the TSHL Speaker to temporarily increase their membership by one member. The TSHL Speaker and officers will review the request and the proposed candidate’s completed forms and make a decision on the addition of another member from the indicated AAA. The TSHL Speaker will inform the AAA Director of the decision.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the TSHL and meets the candidacy requirements listed below should read the Member’s Expectations tab and data on this website. It is highly recommended to contact a current member of TSHL for more information and requirements of members. Then, the prospective member should contact the local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and communicate with the Director. The AAA Director is the contact person from candidacy to certification of the election/appointment. It is at the discretion of the AAA Director whether to call for an election or to appoint a new member between election cycles. The AAA Director will normally consult with TSHL members from the AAA district.
To determine in which Area Agency on Aging a prospect lives, please refer to the included AAA map of Texas and determine the associated name and number of the AAA. Then, see the list of AAAs to find the contact information for each.
Each of the 28 AAAs in Texas serves as the local focal point for coordination and distribution of candidacy forms. The AAA directors work closely with the Chair of the TSHL Elections & Credentials Committee. The AAA Director will inform the Chair of the TSHL Elections & Credentials Committee that a qualified individual is seeking appointment/election.
TSHL Candidacy Requirements and Expectations
A candidate for the TSHL must meet the following criteria:
- Must be age 60 years or older prior to filing for election.
- Must be a resident of the AAA district to file as a candidate from that area.
- Must be a registered voter of the State of Texas. The Candidate Information Form (Form 103) will be used for certification.
- Must be willing to participate in all activities required and expected of Texas Silver-Haired Legislators.
- Must provide a postal address, an email address and a phone number where constituents can contact the member. The email address must be available for publishing in TSHL documents and on the TSHL website.
- Must file for candidacy. Candidates must read, sign, agree to comply with, and complete the forms listed below. Each Area Agency on Aging maintains these forms, or they may be found on the website. These forms must be completed and submitted to the appropriate AAA Director:
a. Form 103: Candidate Information Form
b. Form 104: Hold Harmless Statement
c. Form 105: Code of Conduct Statement
d. Form 106: Official Candidate Petition (Completed only by new candidates; 25 signatures required of registered voters, age 60 or older at time of signing and who live in the AAA district the candidate will represent. Qualified voters may sign a petition for only one candidate per election cycle.)
With the submission of these required forms, the person becomes an official TSHL candidate. A candidate may not take part in any balloting procedures or validation of any election process in which he/she is a candidate.
Upon receipt of the completed documents (Form 103, Form 104, Form 105, and Form 106), the AAA Director will verify the contents. The local AAA Director will usually consult with the AAA Regional Advisory Council and the current TSHL members from that area on whether or not to appoint the candidate. If the appointment is approved, the AAA Director will contact the proposed candidate and will provide a copy of the Certification of Election (Form 110) to said candidate. All completed forms will be forwarded to the Chair of the TSHL Elections and Credentials Committee.
Oath of Office for Elected/Appointed TSHL Member
For a TSHL candidate appointed between sessions, a Texas state senator, representative, local judge, or other elected official will administer the TSHL Oath of Office. The AAA Director will provide the form for the Oath. Upon completion of the oath, the elected/appointed individual becomes an official TSHL member. The original signed and completed Oath of Office will be sent to the Chair of the TSHL Elections and Credentials Committee. A copy of the Oath will be kept by the appropriate AAA; the member may keep a copy for his/her records. A photo and article written about the occasion should be sent to the local media for publication in local newspapers, announced on social media or radio programs, etc.
Appointed TSHL Member Documentation
Upon receipt of the copy of the Certification of Election (Form 110) provided by the local AAA Director for each appointed candidate and the signed Oath of Office, the Chair of the TSHL Elections and Credentials Committee (E & C) will provide the newly-elected/appointed member with the following forms to complete and return. Please note the forms are the same for elected and appointed members. The following forms will be returned to both the Chair of the Elections & Credentials committee and the TSHL Secretary. The E & C Chair will confirm receipt and completion of documents and send a copy to the TSHL Speaker; and to the TSHL Secretary who will update the TSHL rosters. The Speaker will appoint the new member to both an Administrative and a Legislative Issues Committee primarily based on the information in the submitted forms. The Speaker will notify the new member, the TSHL Secretary, and the associated committee chairs of the committee assignments.
Elected/Appointed TSHL Member Forms
Form 201 TSHL Elected/Appointed Member Information
Form 202 Administrative Committees
Form 203 Legislative Issues Committees
Form 204 Member Welcome and Information
TSHL Oath of Office
TSHL Member Responsibilities
An elected/appointed TSHL Member has the following expectations of participation:
- Members of the TSHL incur certain costs such as transportation, lodging, and meals when attending general sessions, meetings, and engagements representing TSHL. Individual members are expected to cover their expenses. Some of the expenses for the Orientation session may be covered through the TSHL Foundation; the Speaker of TSHL will notify members about the specifics.
- An elected/appointed member will probably not have attended the Orientation Session or other noted sessions given that the member’s appointment occurred outside the time frame of those sessions. Therefore, a new member should strive to learn as much as possible about the duties and activities of TSHL. The new member will be furnished the latest copies of the TSHL publications for study: the TSHL Legislative Report, the TSHL Directory, and the TSHL Official Documents book. The new member should also consult with other TSHL members from the appropriate AAA delegation and the Chairs of the assigned committees.
- If at all possible, the elected/appointed member should strive to attend the following:
- The Training Session held during the fall of odd-numbered years (usually 4-5 days in length, and usually held in Austin).
- The Legislative Session held in the spring of even-numbered years (usually 4-5 days in length, and usually held in Austin).
- Members will serve on one Legislative Issues Committee and one Administrative Committee during the 2-year term as assigned by the TSHL Speaker. The appointments will be made using Forms 202 and 203 which identify personal preferences and based on the needs of the organization and committee distribution of each AAA district.
- If elected to the Executive Committee, the member will report results of the Executive Committee meetings to other TSHL legislators in his or her AAA district within 10 working days after committee meetings.
- Appointed members are appointed only for the remainder of the current 2-year TSHL term. All TSHL members, whether elected or appointed during the term, will need to reapply for membership during the next election cycle and complete all required forms, except the Petition Form 106.
How to Become a Texas Silver-Haired Legislator: Election Process
Texas Silver-Haired Legislature (TSHL) holds elections every other year on the odd-numbered years, e.g. 2021, 2023, etc. TSHL is comprised of 123 delegates with the boundaries of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) as the political boundaries for election. All Area Agencies on Aging will elect 4 representatives with the exception of metro areas that will elect members as follows: Bexar County (6), Capital Area (6), Dallas County (6), Harris County (6), Houston/Galveston (5) and Tarrant County (6). Some Area Agencies on Aging may have additional members based on the Membership Supplementary Provision (refer to TSHL Elections and Credentials Manual).
Each Area Agency on Aging in Texas serves as the local focal point for coordination and distribution of candidacy forms and to send and receive mail-in ballots. The Directors of Area Agency on Aging work closely with the Chair of the TSHL Elections & Credentials Committee.
If you would like to be a member of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature (TSHL), and you meet the candidacy requirements listed below, please contact your local Area Agency on Aging and speak with the Director. The Director is the contact person from candidacy to certification of the election.
TSHL Candidacy Requirements and Expectations
A candidate for the TSHL must meet the following criteria:
- Must be age 60 years or older prior to filing for election.
- Must be a resident of the AAA region to file as a candidate in that region.
- Must be a registered voter of the State of Texas. The Candidate Information Form (Form 103) will be used for certification.
- Must be willing to participate in all activities required and expected of Texas Silver-Haired Legislators.
a. Prior to election or appointment, a candidate must sign and agree to comply with the Hold Harmless Statement for AAAs (Form 104) and TSHL Code of Conduct (Forms 105).
b. If elected to the Executive Committee, the member will report results of the Executive Committee meetings to other TSHL legislators in his or her region within 10 working days after the committee meeting. - Must file for candidacy. Candidates must fill out the following forms. Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for the forms. Upon completion of the forms, please return to the AAA Director by required date.
a. Form 103: Candidate Information Form
b. Form 104: Hold Harmless Statement
c. Form 105: Code of Conduct Statement
d. Form 106: Official Candidate Petition (Completed by new candidates only; 25 signatures required of registered voters, age 60 or older.) - The candidate must provide a postal address where constituents can contact the member. The address must be available for publishing in TSHL documents and on the TSHL web site. Members are encouraged to also make their phone numbers and email addresses available to constituents.
- To become a candidate, an individual must complete an Official Candidate Petition (Form 106) by obtaining 25 signatures from registered voters who are 60 years of age or older at time of signing and who live in the area the candidate seeks to represent. This form is completed by new candidates only. Qualified voters may sign a petition for only one candidate. With the submission of required forms, the person becomes an official TSHL candidate. A candidate may not take part in the balloting procedure and validation.
- Members of the TSHL incur certain costs such as transportation, lodging and meals when attending these sessions. Individual members are expected to cover their expenses. Some of the expenses for the Orientation session are covered through the TSHL Foundation; the Speaker of TSHL will notify you about the specifics.
Election Results
Upon receipt of the ballots should an election occur, and receipt of the voters’ registration certifications, the Area Agency on Aging will verify the results. If there are no discrepancies, the results shall be certified as correct. The local AAA director will provide a copy of the Certification of Election (Form 110) to each elected or appointed candidate.
Elected TSHL Member Documentation
Upon receipt of the copy of the Certification of Election (Form 110), provided by the local AAA director to each elected candidate, the Chair of the Elections and Credentials Committee will provide the newly-elected member with the following forms to complete and return to the Chair. The Chair will confirm receipt of documents, and forward the forms to TSHL Secretary who will compile a state-wide roster of the TSHL members.
Elected TSHL Member Forms
Form 201: TSHL Elected Member Information
Form 202: Administrative Committees
Form 203: Legislative Issues Committees
Form 204: Member Welcome and Information
Form no # TSHL Oath of Office
Elected TSHL members are expected to:
- Attend the Orientation Session in the spring of odd-numbered years to be sworn in; this is when you become an official member.
- If you, the newly-elected legislator, are unable to attend the orientation for elected TSHL Legislators in Austin, then you must have a local judge or elected official administer the Oath of Office. Please forward the original completed document to the Chair of the TSHL Elections and Credentials Committee.
- During the Orientation Session you will be given detailed information on the history of TSHL, our purpose, how we are organized and function, members duties, and the TSHL legislative results during the years since 1985. For you and for the TSHL to be successful, it is very important that you attend and take an active part in all of our sessions.
- Attend the Training Session during the Fall of odd-numbered years; usually 4-5 days in length, and usually held in Austin.
- Attend the Legislative Session in the Spring of even-numbered years; usually 4-5 days in length, and usually held in Austin.
- Serve on one Legislative Issues Committee and one Administrative committee during the 2-year term. The Speaker appoints members to committees; Forms 202 and 203 are used to indicate your preferences.