Advocacy

Demarcus Andrews of Durham, NC, has joined AARP North Carolina as Associate State Director of Advocacy. Among his responsibilities will be working with AARP Advocates and others to help advance state legislation and policy proposals to meet the needs of North Carolinians as they age.

RALEIGH -- AARP volunteers were in large numbers at the North Carolina General Assembly when the state’s aging community held an Advocacy Day here in May. With most new legislative proposals being held for the long session in 2025, aging advocates helped set the stage for opportunities lawmakers have to strengthen our communities and make North Carolina a better place for all ages.

North Carolina officials will issue a major blueprint this month that maps out how state agencies should strive to meet the needs of the state’s growing older population.

RALEIGH — Later this month, the North Carolina General Assembly will convene for a “short” session with a big opportunity to pass several key measures that will help people live better lives and save the state millions in unnecessary spending.

RALEIGH, NC — Chris Brandenburg of Fuquay-Varina, NC, was named the new AARP Manager of State and Federal Advocacy in February. In this role, he is responsible for lobbying and maintaining relations with both state and federal elected officials, as well as helping lead a large team of AARP advocacy volunteers who are instrumental to any lobbying success.

Nearly half of North Carolina’s private-sector workers—more than 1.8 million people—don’t have a way to save for retirement through their employers. AARP hopes to change that by pushing for the creation of a state-facilitated retirement savings program during the upcoming legislative session.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently introduced the Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act, bipartisan legislation to increase outreach and education to Medicare beneficiaries and simplify access to information for family caregivers.

For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institutions.

AARP North Carolina is recruiting volunteers to engage with lawmakers on issues important to older adults.

RALEIGH, NC — Throughout 2023, AARP advocates in North Carolina helped push for improvements and funding that will help protect the health, wealth, and personal well-being of the state’s growing population of older adults. These improvements are critical when it comes to meeting the needs of older adults, who will soon outnumber residents in the state ages 18 and younger.