Older Iowans Legislature
Pursuing Quality of Life of Iowa's Senior Citizens
The Older Iowans Legislature is a statewide non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization. Its members advocate for state legislators and the Governor to sign legislation that will result in an improved “Quality of Life for Older Iowans”.
The Older Iowans Legislature places special emphasis on the frail elderly; those citizens who have contributed much to our society, but have exhausted their resources and in need of assistance to lead meaningful lives.
Please take a look at our web site and join our efforts to pursue quality of life for our elderly.
Find out about us, and how to contact your local OIL representative.
Get involved and get on our mailing list.
Get contact info for your local officials and tell them you support OIL's legislative goals.
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
OLDER IOWANS LEGISLATURE (OIL) ANNUAL MEETING 2018
Monday, September 24th begins at 10 a.m.
Tuesday, September 25th begins at 9 a.m.
Where: Iowa House Chamber, State Capitol
Agenda: Debate and vote on issues affecting Older Iowans Delegates vote for four issues which will become the Older Iowans Legislative agenda for 2019.
"Bottoms Up" Committee workshops on senior issues.
Speeches by Iowa state leaders and department directors on issues affecting older Iowans.
Cost: In order to be a voting member attendees must be 50 years of age and paid current $25 membership fee.
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Chair’s Appeal
September 13, 2018
Dear OIL Members and Friends,
The annual meeting of the Older Iowans Legislature is just around the corner as we
will meet Monday, September 24th and Tuesday, September 25th in the Iowa House Chamber at the State Capitol in Des Moines.
I am personally writing this letter to ask each of you, if at all possible, to make the effort to attend our annual meeting so we occupy every seat in the House Chamber.
The OIL Board of Directors has invited the legislative leadership from both parties, department heads and other administrative officials to speak about the challenges facing Iowa’s rapidly growing aging population. These same officials will also answer delegates’ questions and listen to the delegates’ concerns.
The Older Iowans Legislature is a unique organization as it is a non-partisan, non-political, non-profit organization with no paid staff and no paid lobbyist. OIL is strictly a volunteer organization with only one purpose which is to advocate to our state government officials on behalf of Iowans for a “quality of life” as they age.
The annual meeting is also a fun experience. The delegates come to our beautiful Capitol, sit at legislator’s desk, have their name on the tally board and see their vote count as they cast it electronically. The OIL annual meeting gives delegates the opportunity to experience what it is like to be a legislator. Unlike the elected members of the Iowa House, OIL delegates don’t pass official legislation but OIL delegates DO discuss, debate, and cast their votes to determine what bills the Older Iowans Legislature will advocate to the Governor and the next session of the Iowa Legislature.
The Older Iowans Legislature is not a “top down” organization but rather a “bottoms up” organization as you, the delegates, determine what YOU want advocated on YOUR behalf.
I realize that you have many demands of your time but I am asking each of you make the effort to attend the annual meeting and bring a friend. The Older Iowans Legislature does have some funds available to help defray the cost of traveling to Des Moines for those who otherwise would not attend.
Please look at the information about the annual meeting on this site to select a committee in which you would like to participate and email your response to OIL Secretary Ron Jome at
Janron76@icloud.com by Thursday, September 20th
In closing I want to say it is an honor and a privilege to serve as the Chair of the Older Iowans Legislature.
Sincerely,
Helene Magee
New Survey!
Available here!
AARP Iowa, the Older Iowans Legislature and the Iowa Department on Aging will have a better understanding of the biggest challenges when it comes to aging in Iowa as they begin to prepare for the next legislative session.
The three organizations are working together to ask residents of all ages for their thoughts on what Iowa can do to improve the quality of life for its older population through a brief online survey posted on the Department on Aging’s website at www.iowaaging.gov/content/2018-aging-iowa-survey-discovering-what-matters. With the information gathered from the responses to eight questions, the groups hope to discover what really matters to older adults and their caregivers and develop policy to take to elected officials next January.
"The more information available about aging needs, the better prepared the Department and its partners will be to develop innovative, collaborative approaches to help improve the quality of life and care for older Iowans," said Iowa Department on Aging Director Linda Miller. For those interested in becoming even more involved in addressing aging issues in Iowa, the survey also includes a link to learn more about the Older Iowans Legislature (OIL), a statewide, non-partisan organization whose members advocate for state legislators and the Governor to sign legislation that will result in an improved quality of life for older Iowans.
Each year, OIL members meet at the Iowa Capitol to discuss and determine the priority issues impacting the state's growing aging population. This year's Annual Meeting will take place on Sept. 24-25 and leaders intend to use the results of the survey to inform their legislative agenda this year. "The Older Iowans Legislature urges its members and friends, as well as all of Iowa’s seniors, to participate in the survey. The results will play a major role in the discussion of aging issues at our Annual Meeting, which will be held in the House Chamber of the State Capitol," explained OIL Chair Helene Magee.
The delegates to the annual meeting can use the survey information to ask questions of department heads, legislators and the candidates for governor to determine where they stand on the challenges facing the state to help meet the needs of a growing aging population, according to Magee. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete and is available online through Sept. 21, 2018.
The Iowa Department on Aging (IDA) is an executive branch agency dedicated to making Iowa the premier state in which to live and retire. To meet that goal, the IDA works closely with the Iowa Commission on Aging and Iowa’s six Agencies on Aging to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and cost-effective system of long-term living and community support services that helps individuals maintain health and independence in their homes and communities. More information is available at www.iowaaging.gov.
The Older Iowans Legislature is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization that pursues quality of life for older Iowans by voicing their needs to the general public, all governmental bodies and service providers, and by providing opportunities for older Iowans to learn and participate in governmental processes to help solve problems facing seniors.
2018 SESSION OF THE OLDER IOWANS LEGISLATURE
HOUSE CHAMBER IOWA STATE CAPITOL
OIL STANDING COMMITTEES
SURVEY ON AGING ISSUES
INVITED SPEAKERS
COME JOIN US
September 24-25, 2018
The 2018 legislative session of the Older Iowans Legislature (OIL) is just around the corner when members of the Older Iowans Legislature and their guests meet in the Iowa House Chamber at the State Capitol on Monday, September 24th and Tuesday, September 25th.
The 2018 Older Iowans Legislature will again use a “bottoms up” legislative decision-making procedure in the OIL Standing Committees on Monday September 24. The OIL delegates in each of the three OIL Standing Committees will first list and then prioritize issues of concern to the particular OIL Standing Committee. Finally, each OIL Standing Committee will write four OIL Issues to be voted on by the OIL Committee-of-the-Whole that will meet on Tuesday September 25, 2018.
Delegates will have the opportunity to select one of three committees in which to participate to discuss issues affecting seniors. The three committees and some of their goals are as follows:
Senior Rights Committee
- Enact a comprehensive elder abuse law
- Strengthen community options that make it possible for older adults to age well and safely at home and in the community
Quality of Life Committee
- Establish and fund a Return to the Community Program
- Establish a home modification program
- Expand accessible transportation
Workforce/Caregivers Committee
- Establish a program to recruit, train and maintain workers in long-term facilities like nursing homes
- Adopt and implement staffing and performance standards for direct care workers to help ensure quality care standards
- Enact The Care Act
- Encourage and incentivize employers to successfully keep older Iowans in the workforce
The Older Iowans Legislature, AARP, and the Iowa Department on Aging will soon release a two question state-wide survey regarding aging issues in Iowa. It is our hope that Iowa’s older adults, along with their family members, will answer the survey as to what Iowans believe to be the most important issues facing Iowa’s rapidly growing older adult population. The Older Iowans Legislature anticipates that a tabulation of the survey results will be published in advance of the 2018 legislative session of the Older Iowans Legislature on September 24-25. The Older Iowans Legislature hopes to include the information gained from the aging issues survey as issues of interest for general and open discussion by the three OIL Standing Committees on Monday September 24.
OIL welcomes all Iowans over to attend this event. OIL requires voting delegates to be at least age 55 and make payment of the $25 annual membership fee. The membership fee can be paid the day of OIL’s opening session or can be paid by sending a check to OIL Treasurer, Diane Naujokaitis, 4002 N. 17th St., Carter Lake, IA 51510. The check should be made payable to Older Iowans Legislature.
The Older Iowans Legislature participants in the three OIL Standing Committees will conclude their work by voting for four (4) issues that they want presented to the OIL Committee-of-the-Whole on Tuesday September 25. At the OIL Committee-of-the-Whole on Tuesday September 25, the delegates will again engage in discussion and debate and then vote on the twelve (12) OIL Issues from the OIL Standing Committees. The four (4) OIL Issues receiving the most votes by the OIL Committee-of-the-Whole will become the basis of the OIL Priority Bills to be advocated to the Governor of Iowa and to the Iowa General Assembly in January 2019.
A link to the aging issues survey will appear on OIL’s website (olderiowans.org) as well as the AARP and Department on Aging websites. OIL, AARP and the Department on Aging will use radio, TV and newspapers to promote the aging issues survey.
OIL Chair Helene Magee has invited Governor Kim Reynolds, her Democratic challenger Fred Hubbell, legislative leaders of both parties, and several Iowa department directors to address the 2018 session of the Older Iowans Legislature on Monday September 24 and Tuesday September 25.
OIL members and guests planning to attend OIL’s annual meeting can register with OIL Secretary Ron Jome at janron76@icloud.com or to apply online here. The Older Iowans Legislature has reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Downtown at Mercy Campus, 1050 6th Avenue, Des Moines, 50314, 515-283-0151; OIL delegates need to call the Holiday Inn directly to make reservations. The Econo Lodge Inn and Suites on Merle Hay Road, 515-248-2157, in Des Moines has Senior Discount of $58.