The California Senior Legislature (CSL) is a volunteer body meeting for three days each year to propose

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

regarding

senior citizens Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

at both state and federal levels. Meetings are held in the

California State Capitol The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senat ...

building for three days usually in late October. It was created from an idea by California State Senator Henry Mello, who called for a meeting of a “Silver-Haired Legislature”in 1980. It first met in 1982. There are 40 Senior Senators and 80 Senior Assembly members. These are selected through elections in 33 planning service areas, as established by the Federal

Older Americans Act The Older Americans Act of 1965 (, ) was the first federal level initiative aimed at providing comprehensive services for older adults. It created the National Aging Network comprising the Administration on Aging on the federal level, State Unit ...

of 1965. The session meets to arrive at ten state and four federal proposals. These are then taken to state legislators or members of congress, who are asked to author and carry appropriate bills in the Legislature or the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. 80-85% of the bills proposed are endorsed and carried. Voluntary tax-deductible donations on the California state income tax form 540 finance the California Senior Legislature.California Senior Legislature
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References

{{reflist Seniors' organizations Government of California American lobbyists