The North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature (NCSTHL) was created as a nonpartisan, unicameral body by the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) with the passage of Senate Bill 479 in July of 1993.  The chief sponsor of the bill was then-Senator Beverly Perdue.  The first meeting of the Senior Tar Heel Legislature was held on October 26, 1993.

The statute describes the goals of the NCSTHL:

• To assess the legislative needs of older citizens by convening a forum modeled after the NCGA.
• To promote citizen involvement and advocacy concerning aging issues before the NCGA.
• To develop a nonpartisan forum for older North Carolinians to discuss senior citizens’ issues.
• To provide information and education to senior citizens on the legislative process and matters being considered by the NCGA.
• To provide older North Carolinians an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the legislative process.

This is Who we are.

Members of the NCSTHL are volunteers from all walks of life.  Some are retired, some still work.

Each of North Carolina’s 100 counties may select one delegate and one alternate to the NCSTHL for a two-year term.

Appointees must be age 60+ and a resident of the county, but they do not have to be born in North Carolina.

The NCSTHL is unicameral and nonpartisan.

Candidates for appointment are credentialed through the state’s 16 Area Agencies on Aging.

The NC Division of Aging & Adult Services provides staff support for the NCSTHL.

The selection process is facilitated by the state’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAA).  There are 16 AAA offices attached to the state’s local councils of government.  The AAA’s may have differing guidelines for how many terms a NCSTHL representative may serve consecutively.  Information about the NC Regional Councils of Government is found here.  Each Area Agency on Aging has a staff person assigned to facilitate and support the work of their counties’ NCSTHL Delegates and Alternates.  A directory of the NC AAA offices can be found here.

The common denominator among the NCSTHL members is a passion to give a voice to those who are at the margins in their advanced years.  The NCSTHL is a force assembled to ensure that older adults from all walks of life are able to age with choice: Choice of setting, supports, and options to ensure quality of life, health, and well-being.