The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Plan helps protect seniors from financial exploitation
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2008
Washtenaw County Democrats last week unveiled the Elder Financial Protection Act, a plan that aims to shed light on the reprehensible act of elder abuse by cracking down on criminals who financially exploit seniors for their own gain.
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"Elder abuse is a crime that is more prevalent than most people are aware of. This increase is due to the number of seniors we have turning to other people to care for them or help manage their finances," said State Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-52 District. "We must take action now to crack down on the perpetrators of this disgraceful crime."
Elder abuse ranges from abandonment and neglect to financial exploitation to emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Caregiver neglect comprised 20 percent of substantiated reports, according to a report from the National Center on Elder Abuse. Financial exploitation was the culprit in 15 percent of elder abuse cases.
House Democrats' Elder Financial Protection Act would:
• Make it mandatory for employees of financial institutions to report suspected elder abuse.
• Require financial institutions to provide joint accountholders with a written summary of their rights.
• Prohibit those convicted of elder abuse from inheriting from a victim's estate, and create an Elder Death Review Team to investigate suspicious deaths.
• Allow a third party to file a criminal complaint on behalf of a victim of elder abuse.
• Define financial exploitation as it relates to the Michigan Social Welfare Act.
• Define the rights of those who are incapacitated.
• Require a person who is granted power of attorney on behalf of a senior to sign a contract that details the person's obligations and fiduciary duties to act in the senior's best interest.
Michigan's Adult Protective Services investigated more than 9,300 cases of adult mistreatment in 2001, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA). Adults age 60 and older accounted for 69 percent of the victims - an estimated 6,479 seniors.
The investigations found that 70 percent of all victims suffered neglect and 15 percent were abused.
Walberg: Dems strike out
U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, made the following statement after House leadership refused to schedule a vote on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Modernization Bill. This bi-partisan bill passed the Senate, in a 68-29 vote, earlier this week.
The FISA Modernization Bill would give the American intelligence community tools and flexibility needed to quickly respond to terrorist threats. Instead of passing this legislation, Democratic leadership in the House elected to let the FISA updates expire.
"This week, Congress has shown it is more concerned about steroids in baseball, Bill Belichick's practice tapes, Insecticides, Fungicides and Rodenticides than the safety of America.
"Our military and intelligence officials need the tools to protect American citizens from terrorist threats. We must allow American military and intelligence officials to monitor, without delay, calls of suspected and known foreign terrorists in foreign countries.
"Amazingly, today Democratic leadership denied a House vote on a bi-partisan FISA bill passed by the Senate earlier this week. This action will allow current FISA law to expire tomorrow and prevents our intelligence community from immediately monitoring Osama Bin Laden's phone calls.
"We must pass the bi-partisan legislation approved in the Senate so America's intelligence community can monitor Al Qaeda and other terrorist networks without having to go to court to get permission to listen to foreign terrorists plotting on foreign lands."
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