With financial crimes against the elderly totaling $36 billion per year, legislation led by U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to give federal authorities more tools to crack down on scams targeting seniors was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 will facilitate information sharing and data collection in order to help protect seniors. The measure provides more training for federal investigators and prosecutors and also calls for each federal judicial district to have a judge dedicated to handling elder abuse cases.
“We must do everything we can to stop all the forms of abuse and exploitation against senior citizens in North Carolina and across the country,” Tillis said. “I’m proud this common sense legislation has been signed into law by the president so we can prevent elder abuse and strengthen penalties against those who try to take advantage of our senior citizens.”
Additionally, the legislation will ensure that the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Department of Justice both have an elder justice coordinator on staff. The measure also increases penalties for those who target seniors with financial crimes and schemes to deter future perpetrators.
“Families across America, including in Iowa, have been victimized by crimes targeting seniors, and as the population ages, we can expect more and more victims if we don’t act,” said Grassley, who serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act takes meaningful steps to equip law enforcement, seniors and caregivers with additional tools so they can deter these crimes and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The bill was introduced along with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was among the cosponsors of the bill.
“I am glad that the Senate, the House and the president — Democrat and Republican alike — took action to address such a kitchen-table, personal dignity issue,” Grassley said.