The S.C. Silver Haired Legislature is looking for a few good people.

That would be people who are at least 60 years old, who are registered voters in their home county and who are willing to go to Columbia for two or three days to press for laws that help seniors.

Established in 1999, the S.C. Silver Haired Legislature is one of 28 such groups in the country that helps lawmakers understand the special needs of older citizens.

This state's group has 148 members: 74 representatives and 74 alternates. Each county has one representative and one alternate for every 10,000 residents who are 60 or older.

The Waccamaw Caucus - representing Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties - has six representatives and six alternates.

Ron Spjut, an Horry County representative, said the group helped win legislative approval for the state's prescription drug discount program and also influenced the creation of an Office of Aging.

Spjut listed some of the priorities the group will be looking at in 2005. An impressive and ambitious list it is:

Criminal background checks for all paid professional adult day-care and in-home service providers.

Increased funding for abused seniors and for in-home and community-based services.

Affordable transportation for seniors in rural areas.

Tax credits for long-term-care insurance premiums.

Debt forgiveness for doctors specializing in geriatric medicine.

Eliminating the sales tax on food-stamp-eligible products.

Quarterly payment of real estate taxes.

And one that everyone, at whatever age, can get behind:

Improved billing for medical services so patients can understand the charges. I can almost hear the hosannas from anyone who has ever wrestled with medical bill gobbledygook.

If you are interested in serving, you can place your name in nomination at senior centers around Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties until Feb. 11.

There is a $10 filing fee to cover costs.

Candidates will meet in February to get acquainted and present their qualifications. They will meet again March 8 to elect representatives and alternates for the 2005-07 legislative term.

For information, call Spjut at 347-8624 or e-mail him at spjut@sccoast.net.

ONLINE | For past columns go to the Bestler page at MyrtleBeachOnline.com.