Senior Protection Bill

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of bipartisan, commonsense legislation to help protect our seniors from elder abuse, fraud, and neglect. The Senior Citizen Protection Act would create a national registry of convicted elder abusers that accredited healthcare providers, and the public could check before hiring employees who will work with seniors.

While some States already have created elder abuse registries, there is currently no nationally searchable database of the State-level data. As our population ages, the problem of those who seek to take advantage of vulnerable seniors continues to grow.

Families deserve the peace of mind that their parents and loved ones will receive the best possible care at senior facilities and nursing homes from qualified staff.

I urge my colleagues to join me and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) on this senior protection legislation; and I urge them to continue to support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs that millions of seniors depend on to live out their retirement years with dignity and security.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source