Friday, November 6, 2009

Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009

U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., is one of three co-sponsors of the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009.

The bill — which was introduced Oct. 21 — seeks to protect seniors by establishing specialized elder abuse prosecution, research programs and activities to aid victims. It would also establish emergency crisis-response teams to combat elder abuse.

“The growing number of older Americans demands we have enough programs and law enforcement services in place to protect our seniors,” LeMieux said. “This measure is aimed at preventing situations where abuse could occur, as well as giving our justice system the tools it needs to prosecute offenders who mistreat or try to defraud the elderly.”

Senate Bill 1821 is sponsored by Sen. Herbert Kolh, D-Wis., and has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary for review.

“People are living longer; this helps to address the expected increased in crimes committed upon the elderly,” said Ken Lundberg, LeMieux’s communication director. “Many of the grant opportunities are for states and localities that don’t have access to adequate resources to focus on the issue.”

A companion bill, HR 488, was introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., earlier this year and passed the House on Feb. 11. "

Full Article and Source:
Proposed Law Seeks to Protect Senior Citizens

See Also:
Proposed Elder Abuse Victims Act

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the sound of it - elder abuse victims act. But, I think it's too big and ambitious to get passed.

Anonymous said...

As I understand it the act involves a lot of studies and studies for programs, etc.

Don't know where the money will come from...