Congressman Pete King

Elder Abuse

I have been a lead advocate in the House on the issue of elder abuse. My bill, the Elder Justice Act, was signed into law as part of the health care overhaul.

Highlights of the Elder Justice Act as it was signed into law are as follows:

• Establishes of an Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the coordination of activities of the Federal, State, local and private agencies and entities relating to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• Improves the quality of information and research related to elder abuse.
• Requires the immediate reporting to law-enforcement of crimes in a long-term care facility as well as monetary penalties for failure to report such crimes.
• Provides a first-time direct funding stream for Adult Protective Services (APS) for four years.
• Provides support for the Long-Term Care Forensic Centers
• Ombudsman Program and training programs

I am also the sponsor of the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2011 (H.R. 2564), which would require the Department of Justice to hire staff to work on elder justice issues and to investigate cases of elder care neglect. The bill would also assist state and local prosecutors, law enforcement, and victim advocacy groups which deal with elder abuse issues.