[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S10641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KOHL (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. LeMieux, and Mr. 
        Leahy):
  S. 1821. A bill to protect seniors in the United States from elder 
abuse by establishing specialized elder abuse prosecution and research 
programs and activities to aid victims of elder abuse, to provide 
training to prosecutors and other law enforcement related to elder 
abuse prevention and protection, to establish programs that provide for 
emergency crisis response teams to combat elder abuse, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I am proud to join Senators Kohl, 
Mikulski, and LeMieux to introduce the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009, 
a bill to protect older Americans from abuse and exploitation. It is 
clear that we are not doing enough to combat crime against seniors, and 
the Elder Abuse Victims Act will give us important tools to better 
prevent and punish this deplorable behavior.
  I have long fought to improve and protect the lives of older 
Americans. In 2000, I joined Senator Bayh in sponsoring the Protecting 
Seniors from Fraud Act, which was signed into law nearly nine years ago 
today. A key provision that I worked to incorporate into that 
legislation required the Attorney General to conduct a study of crime 
against seniors and to include specific information about crimes that 
disproportionately affect seniors in the National Crime Victimization 
Survey. The information collected as a result of those provisions has 
been valuable in understanding the scope of crime perpetrated against 
seniors and how best to combat it. In 2003, I sought further 
protections by introducing the Seniors Safety Act. That bill aimed to 
strengthen enforcement of many of the most prevalent crimes perpetrated 
against seniors, including health care fraud, nursing home abuse, 
telemarketing fraud, and pension fraud.
  The Elder Abuse Victims Act builds on these earlier efforts and 
ensures that fighting the abuse and exploitation of our seniors is a 
top law enforcement priority. Specifically, the bill provides grants to 
train prosecutors and establish elder justice units within State and 
local courts and law enforcement offices. It also requires the U.S. 
Department of Justice to further study state and local enforcement of 
elder abuse laws and establish more uniform procedures to improve the 
identification and handling of elder justice matters. Additionally, the 
bill provides funding for elder abuse victims advocacy groups to ensure 
that vulnerable seniors have access to critical support services.
  It is particularly important that we strengthen our ability to 
protect older Americans because they are the most rapidly growing 
population group in our society, making them an ever more attractive 
target for criminals. The Department of Health and Human Services has 
predicted that the number of older Americans will grow from 13 percent 
of the U.S. population in 2000 to 20 percent by 2030. In Vermont, 
seniors comprise about 12 percent of the population, a number that is 
expected to increase to 20 percent by 2025.
  The growing number of older Americans demands that we have enough 
advocacy programs and law enforcement services in place to protect our 
seniors. We all deserve to age with dignity, free of the threat of 
abuse or fraud. The Elder Abuse Victims Act can help by giving our 
justice system the tools it needs to prosecute offenders who prey on 
the elderly. I look forward to working with Senators Kohl, Mikulski, 
LeMieux, and others to better protect seniors from crime and abuse.
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