    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [April 17, 1999]
    [Page 576]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 576]]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 17, 1999

        Good morning. Of all the duties we owe to one another, our duty to
    our parents and grandparents is among the most sacred. Today I want to
    talk about what we must do to strengthen the safety net for America's
    seniors, by cracking down on elder crime, fraud, and abuse.
        For more than 6 years, we've worked hard to keep our families and
    our communities safe. And we've made remarkable progress, with violent
    crime dropping to its lowest levels in 25 years. For elderly Americans
    who once locked themselves into their homes in fear, the falling crime
    rate is a godsend.
        But the greatest threat many older Americans face is not a criminal
    armed with a gun but a telemarketer armed with a deceptive rap. And our
    most defenseless seniors, those who are sick or disabled and living in
    nursing homes, cannot lock the door against abuse and neglect by people
    paid to care for them. So America's seniors are especially vulnerable to
    fraud and abuse. Therefore, we must make special efforts to protect
    them.
        That is why the 21st century crime bill I'll send to Congress next
    month includes tough measures to target people who prey on elderly
    Americans. First, we must fight telemarketing fraud that robs people of
    their life savings and endangers their well-being. Every single year
    illegal telemarketing operations bilk the American people of an
    estimated $40 billion. More than half the victims are over 50. That's
    like a fraud tax aimed directly at senior citizens.
        Last year we toughened penalties for telemarketing fraud, but we
    should stop scam artists before they have a chance to harm America's
    seniors. My crime bill will give the Justice Department authority to
    terminate telephone service when agents find evidence of an illegal
    telemarketing operation or a plan to start one. This new law will send a
    message to telemarketers: If you prey on older Americans, we will cut
    off your phone lines and shut you down.
        Second, we must fight nursing home neglect and abuse. Nursing homes
    can be a safe haven for senior citizens and families in need. To make
    sure they are, we've issued the toughest nursing home rules in history
    and stepped up investigations at facilities suspected of neglect and
    abuse. But when one out of four nursing homes in America does not
    provide quality care to their residents, and when people living in
    substandard nursing homes have as much fear from abuse and neglect as
    they do from the diseases of old age, we must do more.
        My crime bill gives the Justice Department authority to investigate,
    prosecute, and punish nursing home operators who repeatedly neglect and
    abuse their residents. With prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines
    of up to $2 million, these new provisions make clear we will settle for
    nothing less than the highest quality care in America's nursing homes.
        Third, we must fight health care fraud. Every year health care fraud
    costs American taxpayers billions of dollars, draining resources from
    programs that benefit our seniors. As Vice President Gore announced last
    month, my crime bill will allow the Justice Department to take immediate
    action to stop false claims and illegal kickbacks and give Federal
    prosecutors new tools to tackle fraud cases.
        Finally, we must fight retirement plan ripoffs. My crime bill will
    toughen penalties for people who steal from pension and retirement
    funds. To borrow a line from Senator Leahy,
    who is working closely with us to strengthen the safety net for our
    seniors, the only people who should benefit from pensions are the people
    who worked for a lifetime to build them.
        I look forward to working with Congress in the coming days to give
    our senior citizens the security they deserve. That is an important part
    of our efforts to protect our parents and our grandparents, to advance
    our values, and build a stronger America for the 21st century.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 4:45 p.m. on April 16 in the Roseville
    Recreation Center in Roseville, MI, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April
    17. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on April 16 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.