[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 988 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 988

             To reauthorize the Elder Justice Act of 2009.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2015

 Mr. King of New York (for himself, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New 
  Mexico, Mr. Swalwell of California, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Frankel of 
  Florida, Mr. Grayson, and Mr. Honda) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition 
to the Committees on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Education 
 and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
             To reauthorize the Elder Justice Act of 2009.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Elder Justice Reauthorization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the American Journal of Public Health, at 
        least 10 percent of older Americans experience elder abuse.
            (2) Victims of elder financial abuse are estimated to lose 
        at least $2.9 billion a year.
            (3) Victims of elder abuse are three times more likely to 
        end up in a hospital and four times more likely to end up in a 
        nursing home than nonvictims.
            (4) Adult protective services which operate in all 50 
        States to help prevent elder abuse and investigate cases have 
        no dedicated Federal funding or any designated Federal agency 
        home.
            (5) Underreporting of elder abuse cases, especially 
        financial abuse, remains a major issue combined with a dearth 
        of comprehensive and reliable data which collectively leads to 
        a vast underestimation of the real amount of elder abuse in the 
        Nation.
            (6) Differences in State laws and practices in the areas of 
        abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults lead to 
        significant disparities in prevention, protective and social 
        services, treatment systems, and law enforcement, and lead to 
        other inequities.
            (7) Starting with the 1974 enactment of the Child Abuse 
        Prevention and Treatment Act, the Federal Government has played 
        an important role in promoting research, training, public 
        safety, data collection, the identification, development, and 
        dissemination of promising health care, social, and protective 
        services, and law enforcement practices, relating to child 
        abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and violence against 
        women. The Federal Government should promote similar efforts 
        and protections relating to elder abuse, neglect, and 
        exploitation.
            (8) The Federal Government should provide leadership to 
        assist States and communities in their efforts to prevent elder 
        abuse, including the promotion of coordinated planning between 
        all levels of government and nongovernment entities and 
        generating and sharing knowledge relevant to protecting elders.
            (9) The problem of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation 
        requires a comprehensive approach that--
                    (A) recognizes the statutory role of State and 
                local adult protective services and long-term care 
                ombudsman programs to respond to elder abuse;
                    (B) integrates the work of health, legal, and 
                social service agencies and organizations;
                    (C) emphasizes the need for prevention, detection, 
                reporting, investigation, assessment and treatment, and 
                prosecution of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation 
                at all levels of government;
                    (D) ensures that sufficient numbers of properly 
                trained personnel with specialized knowledge are in 
                place to treat, assess, and provide services related to 
                elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and carry out 
                elder protection duties;
                    (E) ensures there is cultural competency to address 
                the unique needs of a diverse older adult population 
                with respect to elder abuse; and
                    (F) balances an elder's right to self-determination 
                with society's responsibility to protect elders.
            (10) The future well-being of millions of older adults may 
        be challenged by elder abuse and a coordinated and 
        comprehensive Federal response is needed. Elder abuse 
        prevention is a sound investment that can produce savings to 
        the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the future.
            (11) A victim of elder abuse is never the same after being 
        victimized.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE ELDER JUSTICE ACT OF 2009.

    (a) Amendments to the Social Security Act.--
            (1) Each of the following provisions of the Social Security 
        Act is amended by striking ``2014'' and inserting ``2019'':
                    (A) Section 2024(2) (42 U.S.C. 1397k-3(2)).
                    (B) Section 2042(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 1397m-1(a)(2)).
                    (C) Section 2042(b)(5) (42 U.S.C. 1397m-1(b)(5)).
                    (D) Section 2042(c)(5) (42 U.S.C. 1397m-1(c)(5)).
                    (E) Section 2043(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 1397m-2(b)(2)).
            (2) Each of the following provisions of the Social Security 
        Act is amended by striking ``and 2014'' and inserting ``through 
        2019'':
                    (A) Section 2031(f)(3) (42 U.S.C. 1397l(f)(3)).
                    (B) Section 2041(d)(3) (42 U.S.C. 1397m(d)(3)).
                    (C) Section 2043(a)(2)(C) (42 U.S.C. 1397m-
                2(a)(2)(C)).
            (3) Section 2045 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1397m-4) is amended by striking ``October 1, 2014'' and 
        inserting ``2 years after the completion of grants made to 
        States under section 2042''.
    (b) Amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.--
Section 6703(b) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395i-3a(b)) is amended in each of paragraphs (1)(C) and (2)(C), 
by striking ``2014'' and inserting ``2019''.
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