Elder Abuse Protection Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I

thank the ranking member for his presentation and the gentlewoman for her presentation.

I am proud to support H.R. 2922, the Elder Abuse Protection Act, which has been supported by my colleague from Texas, the Honorable Sylvia Garcia.

As Chairman Nadler said and detailed, the sheer number of elder abuse cases is astounding and shameful, and the pandemic has only worsened the economic and emotional circumstances that so many seniors face.

This problem is particularly grave for linguistic minority groups. My hometown of Houston has a large Hispanic community, and I am particularly concerned with efforts to exploit my elder Spanish- speaking constituents.

In Texas, 20 percent of Hispanics are 65 years or older. One study of this population found that limited English proficiency was a barrier to accessing medical and social services.

That is why the thoughtful legislation offered by Congresswoman Garcia is so very important, and its time is now.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of this bill because it would make permanent the Elder Justice Initiative in the Department of Justice and require it to translate into Spanish those resources the initiative makes available to the public. The cost of translating those educational materials is small compared to the benefit they would bring. It would be a modest undertaking for the Department of Justice, given that DOJ already has litigation translation services in place.

Lastly, this bill makes permanent the National Elder Fraud Hotline-- very important. Since March 2020, the hotline has answered tens of thousands of calls from elder Americans who have called in need of support, offering a service to get information on how to prevent elder fraud for the many elder Americans who don't have access to the internet.

We all know the most vulnerable. These elders who have worked to build this country deserve to live their senior years in peace and tranquility and with respect and dignity. They do not deserve to be taken advantage of by fraudulent individuals, fraudulent schemes, and fraudulent practices. If we can do anything to help them, we should do it.

This legislation strongly helps them, and I commend Ms. Garcia for championing this issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this much-needed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 2922, the ``Elder Abuse Protection Act.''

As Chairman Nadler detailed, the sheer number of elder abuse cases is astounding and shameful, and the pandemic has only worsened the economic and emotional circumstances that so many seniors face.

This problem is particularly grave for linguistic-minority groups.

My hometown of Houston has a large Hispanic community, and I am particularly concerned with efforts to exploit my elder Spanish- speaking constituents.

In Texas, 20 percent of Hispanics are 65 years old or older. One study of this population found that limited English proficiency was a barrier to accessing medical and social services.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of this bill because it would make permanent the Elder Justice Initiative in the Department of Justice, and require it translate into Spanish those resources the initiative makes available to the public.

The cost of translating these educational materials is small compared to the benefit they would bring. It would be a modest undertaking for the Department of Justice, given that DOJ already has litigation translation services in place.

Lastly, this bill makes permanent the National Elder Fraud Hotline.

Since March 2020, the hotline has answered tens of thousands of calls from elder Americans who have called in need of support, offering a service to get information on how to prevent elder fraud for the many elder Americans don't have access to the internet.

I commend Ms. Garcia for championing this issue, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this much-needed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 2922, the ``Elder Abuse Protection Act.''

As Chairman Nadler detailed, the sheer number of elder abuse cases is astounding and shameful, and the pandemic has only worsened the economic and emotional circumstances that so many seniors face.

This problem is particularly grave for linguistic-minority groups.

My hometown of Houston has a large Hispanic community, and I am particularly concerned with efforts to exploit my elder Spanish- speaking constituents.

In Texas, 20 percent of Hispanics are 65 years old or older. One study of this population found that limited English proficiency was a barrier to accessing medical and social services.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of this bill because it would make permanent the Elder Justice Initiative in the Department of Justice and require it translate into Spanish those resources the initiative makes available to the public.

The cost of translating these educational materials is small compared to the benefit they would bring. It would be a modest undertaking for the Department of Justice, given that DOJ already has litigation translation services in place.

Lastly, this bill makes permanent the National Elder Fraud Hotline.

Since March 2020, the hotline has answered tens of thousands of calls from elder Americans who have called in need of support, offering a service to get information on how to prevent elder fraud for the many elder Americans who don't have access to the internet.

I commend Ms. Garcia for championing this issue, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this much-needed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2922) to amend the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act to authorize the Elder Justice Initiative, to require that online resources of such initiative are made available in Spanish, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2922.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2922, the bipartisan Elder Abuse Protection Act of 2021.

This bill would make permanent the Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative and would assign the initiative a number of critical responsibilities that would protect vulnerable seniors from fraud and abuse.

The bill includes critical elder abuse preventive measures, including an obligation to post elder abuse prevention resources online, to coordinate with the Office of Tribal Justice to address elder fraud on reservations, and to publish Spanish-language elder fraud and abuse materials. Additionally, the bill would authorize the Department's operation of the National Elder Fraud Hotline.

These changes are a testament to the importance this Congress places on elder justice and its continued commitment to address emerging elder fraud issues.

Sadly, tens of thousands of elderly Americans are abused and exploited every day. By one estimate, American seniors lose at least $2.9 billion each year due to financial abuse and exploitation. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau similarly estimates that elder Americans suffer an average annual loss of $34,200 due to fraud.

Tragically, instances of elder fraud and abuse have only gone up. From 2013 to 2017, financial scams and other crimes targeting older Americans quadrupled. Elderly individuals are vulnerable to abuse on account of a myriad of factors, with social isolation and mental impairment, such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease, playing outsized roles.

By making permanent and expanding the Elder Justice Initiative's mandate, the Department of Justice can more effectively protect our Nation's seniors and prosecute instances of elder abuse. At a time when seniors are perhaps at their most vulnerable, it only makes sense that the government redouble its efforts to protect America's seniors.

It is particularly important that marginalized elder communities get the educational and preventive resources they need. The Elder Abuse Protection Act does exactly that by requiring that the Elder Justice Initiative coordinate with the Office of Tribal Justice on how to address elder abuse on reservations. This provision would mean fewer elder indigenous Americans will fall victim to exploitation.

The bill also makes permanent the elder abuse fraud hotline. With the hotline, concerned Americans can report instances of elder abuse directly to the Department of Justice, and victims can obtain support and resources that they need.

The Elder Abuse Protection Act also requires that the Elder Justice Initiative share their materials online and in Spanish. More Americans will have access to the DOJ's resources. Greater access to those materials is critical so that older Latinos, who comprise almost 4 million individuals, can also access these crucial resources.

In short, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2922 redoubles the government's commitment to preventing elder fraud and abuse, and to ensuring that seniors have access to the resources they need.

I thank Representatives Garcia and Spartz, the sponsors of this bipartisan legislation, for their vision and their leadership on this important issue.

I strongly support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very worthy bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bipartisan Elder Abuse Protection Act.

I proudly sponsored this legislation because, quite frankly, back in the day, when I was a geriatric social worker, I saw firsthand the abuse targeted against our seniors as consumers.

This bill will help ensure that our seniors today, the group that most disproportionately was impacted by COVID-19, are not continuing as targets of fraudulent crimes. I thank Representative Spartz for joining me in this legislation.

This March, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center released its 2020 internet crime report, noting it received 105,301 complaints--over 100,000 complaints--from victims over the age of 60.

That was a whopping 54 percent increase from the 2019 numbers of 68,000 complaints. If you look at the cost and value of these complaints, it was $966 million, an approximate 15 percent increase from the 2019 number of $835 million.

What is worse, Mr. Speaker, is that these statistics reflect only those complaints in which the victim voluntarily provided their age range as over 60. So there may be even more.

Victims over the age of 60 are targeted by perpetrators because they are believed to have significant reliable financial resources.

The evidence is clear, as the United States ages, diversifies, and modernizes, the number of older adults experiencing elder abuse is, unfortunately, also projected to increase.

Elder abuse assessment measures and interventions are critical. This intervention is even more urgent for Latinos in our country who lack access to resources and information in their preferred language.

In 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated that the Latino population in the United States age 65 and over was over 4 million people. By 2060, the Department projects the population of elderly Latinos in America to grow to 19.9 million, or 21 percent of the overall American elderly population. That is a huge number and growing.

Given these rapid growth rates and projected increases, public online resources should be made available to Americans with limited English proficiency. Providing Spanish language resources to the public will therefore reach an underserved population and will provide an important resource to millions of residents in the United States of America, especially to my home State of Texas.

Unfortunately, due to the quarantine measures and limitations on visiting facilities and nursing homes, it has made it easier for abuse, neglect, and fraud to go undetected.

That is why this important legislation makes permanent a National Elder Fraud Hotline and requires the Elder Justice Coordinator to consult with the Office of Tribal Justice and designees on legal aid issues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2922.

The Elder Abuse Protection Act builds on President Trump's strong record of protecting America's seniors and responding to elder abuse in America. In 2017, President Trump signed into law the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act to improve the justice system's response to victims of elder abuse and exploitation cases.

In 2018, President Trump signed an executive order that established a task force within the Justice Department that placed a new emphasis on the growing problems of cyber fraud and fraud targeting the elderly. Attorney General Barr appointed a National Elder Justice Coordinator to oversee the Department's work to combat elder fraud.

Because of the Trump administration's work, all 94 U.S. Attorney's offices now have a prosecutor dedicated to focus on the most pressing elder justice issues in each jurisdiction.

The Department also established an Elder Justice Initiative to support and coordinate the Department's enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud cases and scams that target our seniors.

This bill codifies the Trump administration's Elder Justice Initiative as a program within the Department of Justice. President Trump and his administration led on protecting American seniors. The bill before us today will make permanent the thoughtful and successful initiatives implemented by President Trump and Attorney General Barr.

I am pleased that my colleagues across the aisle recognize the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Barr in these important areas. I thank the sponsor and cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, reports estimate that as many as 1 in 10 elders are abused every year, but less than half of these incidents are actually reported, and the COVID pandemic has left seniors isolated and more vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

All over, we are seeing scammers deceive a grandparent that their grandchild is in trouble and needs money.

We see imposters pose as IRS agents to trick an elder into paying money they do not owe.

We see fraudsters offer tech support assistance and collect money for fraudulent services.

We must hold these criminals accountable for taking advantage of and abusing our seniors.

Protecting and caring for our loved ones--who once supported and cared for us--is one of our most honorable responsibilities.

The Elder Abuse and Protection Act promotes justice for vulnerable seniors by making the Elder Justice Initiative a permanent office within the Department of Justice, which works to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud and scams that target our nation's seniors.

I thank Congresswoman Garcia for introducing this important legislation to protect our seniors, and I am proud to be a cosponsor and support it today.