S178 ENR: Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act
U.S. Senate
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of contents(a)This Act may be cited as the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act
.(b)The table of contents for this Act is as follows:Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.Sec. 2. Definitions.TITLE I—Supporting Federal Cases Involving Elder JusticeSec. 101. Supporting Federal cases involving elder justice.TITLE II—Improved data collection and Federal coordinationSec. 201. Establishment of best practices for local, State, and Federal data collection.Sec. 202. Effective interagency coordination and Federal data collection.TITLE III—Enhanced victim assistance to elder abuse survivorsSec. 301. Sense of the Senate.Sec. 302. Report.TITLE IV—Robert Matava Elder Abuse Prosecution Act of 2017Sec. 401. Short title.Sec. 402. Enhanced penalty for telemarketing and email marketing fraud directed at elders.Sec. 403. Training and technical assistance for States.Sec. 404. Interstate initiatives.TITLE V—MiscellaneousSec. 501. Court-appointed guardianship oversight activities under the Elder Justice Act of 2009.Sec. 502. GAO reports.Sec. 503. Outreach to State and local law enforcement agencies.Sec. 504. Model power of attorney legislation.Sec. 505. Best practices and model legislation for guardianship proceedings.2.In this Act—(1)the terms abuse, adult protective services, elder, elder justice, exploitation, law enforcement, and neglect have the meanings given those terms in section 2011 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397j);(2)the term elder abuse includes abuse, neglect, and exploitation of an elder; and(3)the term State means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of the United States.<enum>I</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Supporting Federal Cases Involving Elder Justice</header><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3370b51b-e64c-476e-935e-08585183bb67" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>101.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Supporting Federal cases involving elder justice</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb45aeb65-02ed-4485-9278-2e3297fec501"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Support and assistance</header><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id162d3095-b6dd-420e-bb68-55e21df84b01"><enum>(1)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Elder justice coordinators</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Attorney General shall designate in each Federal judicial district not less than one Assistant United States Attorney to serve as the Elder Justice Coordinator for the district, who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfdf4dffe-c338-4b34-9bc9-105a9fce1cc5"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">serving as the legal counsel for the Federal judicial district on matters relating to elder abuse;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="iddc8df39b-780b-4c45-82c6-1a9b510822b8"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">prosecuting, or assisting in the prosecution of, elder abuse cases;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id088c24ca-974d-408a-8b88-102921730d61"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">conducting public outreach and awareness activities relating to elder abuse; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idf522b887-8113-48e5-a2fe-89449e81a675"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">ensuring the collection of data required to be collected under section 202.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id45ac1e74-da59-4582-8dc2-1b6f015c4135"><enum>(2)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Investigative support</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall, with respect to crimes relating to elder abuse, ensure the implementation of a regular and comprehensive training program to train agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation and prosecution of such crimes and the enforcement of laws related to elder abuse, which shall include—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id8fd8f2b8-6840-4c5f-b36c-d8c1de155c76"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">specialized strategies for communicating with and assisting elder abuse victims; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0dbdd9bd-5e86-486c-8f22-33019ce98df1"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">relevant forensic training relating to elder abuse.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="iddac10683-4db7-4c37-a3d4-8aa32659113f"><enum>(3)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Resource group</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Attorney General, through the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, shall ensure the operation of a resource group to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experience, sample pleadings and other case documents, training materials, and any other resources to assist prosecutors throughout the United States in pursuing cases relating to elder abuse.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida1f92ffa-f540-4b6a-a30b-8e2e39ab99ce"><enum>(4)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Designated elder justice working group or subcommittee to the Attorney General’s advisory committee
of United States Attorneys</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, shall establish a subcommittee or working group to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys, as established under section 0.10 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto, for the purposes of advising the Attorney General on policies of the Department of Justice relating to elder abuse.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1458be56-0ece-481d-abeb-fdcfe48ee41a"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Department of Justice elder justice coordinator</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall designate an Elder Justice Coordinator within the Department of Justice who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id6aaf3c43-7550-4474-9fc6-495d2187e1c2"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">coordinating and supporting the law enforcement efforts and policy activities for the Department of Justice on elder justice issues;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9f591d99-e985-419f-987a-7909967b9686"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">evaluating training models to determine best practices and creating or compiling and making publicly available replication guides and training materials for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, emergency responders, individuals working in victim services, adult protective services, social services, and public safety, medical personnel, mental health personnel, financial services personnel, and any other individuals whose work may bring them in contact with elder abuse regarding how to—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0b619ba9-8d3d-4b7a-9393-476d5e0fc101"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">conduct investigations in elder abuse cases;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0587d127-e16a-43c0-82ac-018a4b364eba"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">address evidentiary issues and other legal issues; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id49308512-3e9f-4e7c-b838-4646feed7c27"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">appropriately assess, respond to, and interact with victims and witnesses in elder abuse cases, including in administrative, civil, and criminal judicial proceedings; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="iddd2143f0-153d-46e9-824a-7fadf2de2078"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">carrying out such other duties as the Attorney General determines necessary in connection with enhancing the understanding, prevention, and detection of, and response to, elder abuse.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idebeb29ab-2a55-4554-a9c9-bb88a28bea5a"><enum>(c)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Federal trade commission</header><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2ed77bdf-ed27-4372-a437-9513f980a1f2"><enum>(1)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Federal trade commission elder justice coordinator</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall designate within the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission an Elder Justice Coordinator who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida59faff1-9437-47d3-bf5b-b6807bcc1ba8"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">coordinating and supporting the enforcement and consumer education efforts and policy activities of the Federal Trade Commission on elder justice issues; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id454940f6-3087-4cb3-be19-12c96f4267c8"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">serving as, or ensuring the availability of, a central point of contact for individuals, units of local government, States, and other Federal agencies on matters relating to the enforcement and consumer education efforts and policy activities of the Federal Trade Commission on elder justice issues.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id432adb28-a0c4-48cc-9669-692acc764ef7"><enum>(2)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Reports to Congress</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and once every year thereafter, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General shall each submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report detailing the enforcement actions taken by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, respectively, over the preceding year in each case in which not less than one victim was an elder or that involved a financial scheme or scam that was either targeted directly toward or largely affected elders, including—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id956aa172-bfdb-48cf-b6f5-64172cb2328a"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the name of the district where the case originated;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id698f954a-595f-4aa7-a7ab-47d8e422d66d"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the style of the case, including the case name and number;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0f149226-2c36-4df2-aa88-09cde1f7fbcd"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a description of the scheme or scam; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3c30f1d9-1556-4a10-8ab2-a290a382ee8a"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the outcome of the case.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id41ade3d6-8b2a-443f-bb35-21de07650e2a"><enum>(d)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Use of appropriated funds</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.</text></subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Improved data collection and Federal coordination</header><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd45bf282-4b14-4ad5-b858-f3d90cdb54db" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>201.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Establishment of best practices for local, State, and Federal data collection</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id5d21a666-8c3b-4074-8f34-e950f2b34dee"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Attorney General, in consultation with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, shall—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idf47f5b62-aa6e-4762-9a47-029920529db7"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">establish best practices for data collection to focus on elder abuse; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id11678418-def2-4936-9fed-240b2e35eb88"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">provide technical assistance to State, local, and tribal governments in adopting the best practices established under paragraph (1).</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idcac27e2e-a1dd-4838-a3a2-e8cbdda2f87d"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Deadline</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall publish the best practices established under subsection (a)(1) on the website of the Department of Justice in a publicly accessible manner.</text></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ideb9acefb-b50c-4b34-9f89-8c8509f4e8d4"><enum>(c)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Limitation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Nothing in this section shall be construed to require or obligate compliance with the best practices established under subsection (a)(1).</text></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2f8c4794-28f8-44e5-92aa-51bbc6d081dc" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>202.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Effective interagency coordination and Federal data collection</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id36875072-3b7f-4dec-9dc5-292f842849db"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, on an annual basis—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ide88909f0-c0af-4202-b440-9209ef77e78d"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">collect from Federal law enforcement agencies, other agencies as appropriate, and Federal prosecutors' offices statistical data related to elder abuse cases, including cases or investigations where one or more victims were elders, or the case or investigation involved a financial scheme or scam that was either targeted directly toward or largely affected elders; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1d4ba8bc-c6fb-4535-9223-860bbd436bb5"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">publish on the website of the Department of Justice in a publicly accessible manner—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida6657d0a-1e2e-4365-bdbb-91bb1daddb71"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a summary of the data collected under paragraph (1); and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd730b105-2a9e-49cc-9231-93bf2c8d48c5"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">recommendations for collecting additional data relating to elder abuse, including recommendations for ways to improve data reporting across Federal, State, and local agencies.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id6532f44c-38ab-462b-a2a9-acbc60e7004b"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Requirement</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The data collected under subsection (a)(1) shall include—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id84de39f3-7151-405e-b56c-227c19b923d2"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the total number of investigations initiated by Federal law enforcement agencies, other agencies as appropriate, and Federal prosecutors' offices related to elder abuse;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id5f6053ec-bce6-4391-b9d1-d8765254f7db"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the total number and types of elder abuse cases filed in Federal courts; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id473a1936-ce50-4409-9e8d-5be4c6294241"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">for each case described in paragraph (2)—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id196423ed-fc41-49fd-9875-e39ea6df472b"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the name of the district where the case originated;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id88d45624-a835-4938-ba1d-13010a3b6bff"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the style of the case, including the case name and number;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfe662bee-0580-4bd7-909e-b65aef20c5f8"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a description of the act or acts giving rise to the elder abuse;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4c8b9528-4875-48ed-a026-81042be00c57"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the case of a scheme or scam, a description of such scheme or scam giving rise to the elder abuse;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb60ae843-7b8a-4bbc-a81c-71d76be7341a"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">information about each alleged perpetrator of the elder abuse; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id399693dc-38a6-422c-bc6f-c3be1b0bab9c"><enum>(F)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the outcome of the case.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3ffc9c4f-f581-4e93-845e-6f282d8e62d0"><enum>(c)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">HHS requirement</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, on an annual basis, provide to the Attorney General statistical data collected by the Secretary relating to elder abuse cases investigated by adult protective services, which shall be included in the summary published under subsection (a)(2).</text></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id275070af-9f40-47c0-be35-d5958833a0bc"><enum>(d)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Prohibition on individual data</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">None of the information reported under this section shall include specific individually identifiable data.</text></subsection></section><enum>III</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Enhanced victim assistance to elder abuse survivors</header><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id62d01c3f-7b59-461e-bd78-985c0593bbef" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>301.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Sense of the Senate</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id62c710ea-48b1-4c83-a9d2-bd7bdd53b331"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Findings</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Senate finds the following:</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id8af255dc-a57c-4b7d-aa6c-800c92a43282"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The vast majority of cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults in the United States go unidentified and unreported.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9b284c47-d10d-476b-a0a1-4a6bed3b2ff9"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not less than $2,900,000,000 is taken from older adults each year due to financial abuse and exploitation.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id797d1c8c-f19d-4346-b425-e533acc78a7d"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfb606184-1214-4bb1-b9fd-27bf9a04f877"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Older adults who are abused are 3 times more likely to die earlier than older adults of the same age who are not abused.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2b0f81df-bf9f-4775-9b3a-c3a05a199d3a"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Up to half of all older adults with dementia will experience abuse.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id12c13807-2cb4-462b-af67-b6508d52c29f"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Sense of the Senate</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">It is the sense of the Senate that—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id317bd59c-a625-4a88-b9f4-934f666ef4de"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">elder abuse involves the exploitation of potentially vulnerable individuals with devastating physical, mental, emotional, and financial consequences to the victims and their loved ones;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd7c4c1db-59d2-453c-b6c0-1f9b08de584e"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">to combat this affront to America’s older adults, we must do everything possible to both support victims of elder abuse and prevent the abuse from occurring in the first place; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1eacf237-11c6-492a-aa11-209a10ee14d4"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the Senate supports a multipronged approach to prevent elder abuse and exploitation, protect the victims of elder abuse and exploitation from further harm, and bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4f54de2f-04aa-44cd-bcfb-c29d20299c1d" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>302.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Report</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id108375af-a017-4519-a399-850ea6cc0462"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 1 year after the date on which the collection of statistical data under section 202(a)(1) begins and once each year thereafter, the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime shall submit a report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that addresses, to the extent data are available, the nature, extent, and amount of funding under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/10601">42 U.S.C. 10601</external-xref> et seq.) for victims of crime who are elders.</text></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idce6599bc-1962-461d-a027-27f19fe6d0d3"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Contents</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The report required under subsection (a) shall include—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfb79b9de-c300-4e34-80d0-5eb8bf2109c5"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">an analysis of victims’ assistance, victims’ compensation, and discretionary grants under which elder abuse victims (including elder victims of financial abuse, financial exploitation, and fraud) received assistance; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id47d23242-729e-4dd5-b469-787ff5d169d8"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">recommendations for improving services for victims of elder abuse.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><enum>IV</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Robert Matava Elder Abuse Prosecution Act of 2017</header><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idf77286c3-32cc-4b7a-9ed0-43c899aa062f" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>401.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited as the <quote>Robert Matava Elder Abuse Prosecution Act of 2017</quote>.</text></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb8478c3c-5c69-45d9-bf85-df23a3f73ccb" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>402.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Enhanced penalty for telemarketing and email marketing fraud directed at elders</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="iddbe020f8-d0a0-421a-a060-1413a61cced0"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/18/113A">Chapter 113A</external-xref> of title 18, United States Code, is amended—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id7df2c1a3-8fe9-4113-a4f8-2a150c2d72e6"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the chapter heading, by inserting <quote><header-in-text level="chapter" style="USC">and email marketing</header-in-text></quote> after <quote><header-in-text level="chapter" style="USC">telemarketing</header-in-text></quote>;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfc77d6dc-5802-44ef-b643-814cec708fc9"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by striking section 2325 and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida0f0cd92-a0fc-4459-aaec-298e25366705" style="USC"><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida555acf6-0f88-4fe5-bffd-7b7950104f18" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>2325.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Definition</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this chapter, the term <term>telemarketing or email marketing</term>—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9435f88e-2ad8-4946-819d-962f080376eb"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">means a plan, program, promotion, or campaign that is conducted to induce—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id82a945f6-d284-4118-bdc9-3041dc72eb9b"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">purchases of goods or services;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3dcf031c-3869-4088-a328-4c8fb41f88c4"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">participation in a contest or sweepstakes;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idae7fdfd2-5b8d-46cc-8a8b-4f569fef3304"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a charitable contribution, donation, or gift of money or any other thing of value;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idffe172b2-24f3-405e-8853-9d73e63973cc"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">investment for financial profit;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4116758c-e6e9-4836-a6f2-fa630c84d7b6"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">participation in a business opportunity;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3ff9cdae-ccc1-4bdc-b0b2-e9337b870133"><enum>(F)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">commitment to a loan; or</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id6e0b43da-6c3d-4aae-af6d-45536a4ab7d4"><enum>(G)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">participation in a fraudulent medical study, research study, or pilot study,</text></subparagraph><continuation-text commented="no" continuation-text-level="paragraph">by use of one or more interstate telephone calls, emails, text messages, or electronic instant messages initiated either by a person who is conducting the plan, program, promotion, or campaign or by a prospective purchaser or contest or sweepstakes participant or charitable contributor, donor, or investor; and</continuation-text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc5549051-49b5-4621-a1bd-5d4fc7ada7de"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">does not include the solicitation through the posting, publication, or mailing of a catalog or brochure that—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1e1b6618-5b36-4a06-9941-30a1416515a1"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">contains a written description or illustration of the goods, services, or other opportunities being offered;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ide8aeb2b7-f663-4eb0-87c9-38205969f149"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">includes the business address of the solicitor;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc7d0dffd-3542-41a8-8fdc-2b271f8ba572"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">includes multiple pages of written material or illustration; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3e376faf-7576-4c6c-bca1-586445579cf4"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">has been issued not less frequently than once a year,</text></subparagraph><continuation-text commented="no" continuation-text-level="paragraph">if the person making the solicitation does not solicit customers by telephone, email, text message, or electronic instant message, but only receives interstate telephone calls, emails, text messages, or electronic instant messages initiated by customers in response to the written materials, whether in hard copy or digital format, and in response to those interstate telephone calls, emails, text messages, or electronic instant messages does not conduct further solicitation.</continuation-text></paragraph></section><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc6f71dd1-86bb-4412-bf68-267188e6d15c"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in section 2326, in the matter preceding paragraph (1)—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2fa482ff-ba4f-405d-a82e-cd2099ab08cf"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by striking <quote>or 1344</quote> and inserting <quote>1344, or 1347 or section 1128B of the Social Security Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1320a-7b">42 U.S.C. 1320a–7b</external-xref>)</quote>; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id6c175cdb-0b09-42f4-aad6-3029de888a44"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by inserting <quote>or email marketing</quote> after <quote>telemarketing</quote>; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id247cfa4d-e348-4bc9-8546-448c2e75bcbb"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd6ee403d-7acd-4084-b723-c87d678b7eda" style="USC"><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id38eadc8b-5180-48d4-85b3-31bf55b463d4" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>2328.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Mandatory forfeiture</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc764ecd5-c4e1-4afd-97eb-84393dcc55e4"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The court, in imposing sentence on a person who is convicted of any offense for which an enhanced penalty is provided under section 2326, shall order that the defendant forfeit to the United States—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1cdce75e-8e42-4571-92c6-c23c104ca8ff"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any property, real or personal, constituting or traceable to gross proceeds obtained from such offense; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id93ee4112-6de1-43d4-b484-20bb2d2bef54"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any equipment, software, or other technology used or intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission of such offense.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id615b93e9-741d-4d8d-a788-e1e9d8fea2e1"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Procedures</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The procedures set forth in section 413 of the Controlled Substances Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/21/853">21 U.S.C. 853</external-xref>), other than subsection (d) of that section, and in Rule 32.2 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall apply to all stages of a criminal forfeiture proceeding under this section.</text></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd92e6484-2fcf-47c4-9eed-ef43dd5556f2"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Technical and conforming amendments</header><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id7b4b9eab-2836-4a43-aa88-3e25bc16eb3c"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The table of chapters at the beginning of part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to chapter 113A and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb100b268-900c-43fa-82cd-f86c15d73b66" style="OLC"><toc><multi-column-toc-entry bold="off" level="section"><toc-enum>113A.</toc-enum><level-header bold="off" level="section">Telemarketing and email marketing fraud</level-header><target>2325</target></multi-column-toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9df51e60-2ee7-4220-95d1-69d7591ed90e"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/18/113A">chapter 113A</external-xref> of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/18/2327">section 2327</external-xref> the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4902a36d-9f57-4296-a511-0f3715358820" style="OLC"><toc><toc-entry bold="off" level="section">2328. Mandatory forfeiture.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id820b1cf6-ebb8-43ba-a43e-584e1788c2e9" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>403.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Training and technical assistance for States</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and in coordination with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (established under section 2021 of the Social Security Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1397k">42 U.S.C. 1397k</external-xref>)), shall create, compile, evaluate, and disseminate materials and information, and provide the necessary training and technical assistance, to assist States and units of local government in—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfad208c1-2472-4848-93f6-3330bbc41d90"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">investigating, prosecuting, pursuing, preventing, understanding, and mitigating the impact of—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3e1b0c11-8cc9-4429-95c6-5d3008cd9383"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of elders;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida5814131-a13c-46ff-9234-4b5916fcb02a"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">exploitation of elders, including financial abuse and scams targeting elders; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfd95f428-ddb9-4787-81a6-cc226b467161"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">neglect of elders; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idf67b7aa9-0a30-45dc-bdc3-05b51a2f3ead"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">assessing, addressing, and mitigating the physical and psychological trauma to victims of elder abuse.</text></paragraph></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idbcad8923-efe3-4b78-94fa-89abbd3e499b" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>404.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Interstate initiatives</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id162e85cb-3c44-484d-8742-d8555f9696bd"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Interstate agreements and compacts</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The consent of Congress is given to any two or more States (acting through State agencies with jurisdiction over adult protective services) to enter into agreements or compacts for cooperative effort and mutual assistance—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idcbd09503-1cdf-4fc5-afb6-d7b2f928b43f"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in promoting the safety and well-being of elders; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idaad3ddb9-9a67-4d44-8e48-054c7b0dc4bc"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in enforcing their respective laws and policies to promote such safety and well-being.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idec209b8d-3fe4-4c78-ac64-a6318e047a48"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Recommendations on interstate communication</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Executive Director of the State Justice Institute, in consultation with State or local adult protective services, aging, social, and human services and law enforcement agencies, nationally recognized nonprofit associations with expertise in data sharing among criminal justice agencies and familiarity with the issues raised in elder abuse cases, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to Congress legislative proposals relating to the facilitation of interstate agreements and compacts.</text></subsection></section><enum>V</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Miscellaneous</header><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id8BF671A901264995B3A265EDEBF556C6" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>501.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Court-appointed
guardianship oversight activities under the Elder Justice Act of
2009</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 2042(c) of the Social Security Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1397m-1">42 U.S.C. 1397m–1(c)</external-xref>) is amended—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4EA2B8EBF9AF43A999204275DB8BC279"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in paragraph (1), by inserting <quote>(and, in the case of demonstration programs described in paragraph (2)(E), to the highest courts of States)</quote> after <quote>States</quote>;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idC0331A08A2C949E9A54F316901943B98"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in paragraph (2)—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0727312FC0024E39B36BF1DE4FB15793"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting <quote>(and the highest courts of States, in the case of demonstration programs described in subparagraph (E))</quote> after <quote>local units of government</quote>;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id670DA265DDAF42A684B40604FFD98405"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in subparagraph (D), by striking <quote>or</quote> after the semicolon;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id42FD7ED5B8B1468D88DA7290CD503CC7"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F); and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9C978D202CFB4531A19DFDD0B0B9376E"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by inserting after subparagraph (D), the following new subparagraph:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idE7F9C06643774EE5BAC9DFEC4C885057" style="OLC"><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idBBCCEA9DDB114C3F9912EDF066A0E849"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">subject to paragraph (3), programs to assess the fairness, effectiveness, timeliness, safety, integrity, and accessibility of adult guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, including the appointment and the monitoring of the performance of court-appointed guardians and conservators, and to implement changes deemed necessary as a result of the assessments such as mandating background checks for all potential guardians and conservators, and implementing systems to enable the annual accountings and other required conservatorship and guardianship filings to be completed, filed, and reviewed electronically in order to simplify the filing process for conservators and guardians and better enable courts to identify discrepancies and detect fraud and the exploitation of protected persons; or</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idA7F75BC2883A432EBDE1C57F74BB1380"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idA4AD13050DCF4CF4AEE472E63971BC63"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by inserting after paragraph (2), the following new paragraph:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id47049D0A5B6A42478DC7FCB09346E55B" style="OLC"><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idED56C9368D594C5FB4B7B104F60FD4E1"><enum>(3)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Requirements
for court-appointed guardianship oversight demonstration programs</header><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9E9CB61F79CE421196DFEB6427B8F6C2"><enum>(A)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Award of
grants</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In awarding grants to the highest courts of States for demonstration programs described in paragraph (2)(E), the Secretary shall consider the recommendations of the Attorney General and the State Justice Institute, as established by section 203 of the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/10702">42 U.S.C. 10702</external-xref>).</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idDFE9DE60E1F245BC8BB66215520FA62D"><enum>(B)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Collaboration</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The highest court of a State awarded a grant to conduct a demonstration program described in paragraph (2)(E) shall collaborate with the State Unit on Aging for the State and the Adult Protective Services agency for the State in conducting the demonstration program.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idE06C2033CCEE4102B9428FFDE2254122"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in paragraph (4) (as redesignated by paragraph (3) of this section), by inserting <quote>(and, in the case of demonstration programs described in paragraph (2)(E), the highest court of a State)</quote> after <quote>a State</quote>; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id5ED355274F334ACB8241A0FA6AAB0E1F"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), by inserting <quote>(or, in the case of demonstration programs described in paragraph (2)(E), the highest court of a State)</quote> after <quote>State</quote> each place it appears.</text></paragraph></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idDC1D30618C4C45CC93B12D79A524A134" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>502.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">GAO reports</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id33EAB1EEA144408896DA7CCF826A658A"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Elder justice recommendations</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall review existing Federal programs and initiatives in the Federal criminal justice system relevant to elder justice and shall submit to Congress—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2ff38b7a0521418a94674a23c6e3efbe"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a report on such programs and initiatives; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id857a198a7ee640d7b84cd3b6ebf9b1c5"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any recommendations the Comptroller General determines are appropriate to improve elder justice in the United States.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idBA43D2A56A0C4F5C8F338D93B6C167D5"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Report on elder abuse and international criminal enterprises</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida97d7e52ea2448c1be581e504bf33407"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Federal Government efforts to monitor—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida272b090aaf749049f78f682ac6ac78a"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the exploitation of older adults of the United States in global drug trafficking schemes and other international criminal enterprises;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idd23e88e9bceb4f4f9a3c786ddb8e179f"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the extent to which exploitation of older adults of the United States by international criminal enterprises has resulted in the incarceration of these citizens of the United States in foreign countries; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1b0376dedff9460d8e08eea5d717e1a1"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the total annual number of elder abuse cases pending in the United States; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2b3e7977ec5348b0baaed3cc78ea2d5d"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the results of intervention by the United States with foreign officials on behalf of citizens of the United States who are elder abuse victims in international criminal enterprises.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id04B847FF78174BB7BDADB5C01D6D6D3F" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>503.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Outreach to State and local law enforcement agencies</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Attorney General shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on efforts by the Department of Justice to conduct outreach to State and local law enforcement agencies on the process for collaborating with the Federal Government for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting interstate and international elder financial exploitation cases.</text></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id31E8AFE3CF32411B9CF808C583C0F052" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>504.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Model power of attorney legislation</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Attorney General shall publish model power of attorney legislation for the purpose of preventing elder abuse.</text></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id03E432655C9649E6A212856D536C8C7A" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>505.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Best practices and model legislation for guardianship proceedings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Attorney General shall publish best practices for improving guardianship proceedings and model legislation relating to guardianship proceedings for the purpose of preventing elder abuse.</text></section>Speaker of the House of RepresentativesVice President of the United States and President of the Senate