During Elder Abuse Awareness Month, the House Aging and Older Adults Services Committee announced a package of bills that seeks to offer older Pennsylvanians and their families peace of mind when it comes to protection.
“We launched Elder Abuse Awareness Month at the beginning of June, with the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee passing this package of bills, with bipartisan support, to offer our seniors another sense of protection when it comes to exploitation and whose jurisdiction it is to handle these crimes and issues,” said majority chairman Rep. Gary W. Day (R-Lehigh/Berks). “The committee has worked together to put forward these measures that will continue to enhance the everyday lives of our older adults across the commonwealth.
“We found it necessary to come together to continue to push for stronger support for our seniors, older adults and care-dependent individuals. The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee continues to seek solutions for all Pennsylvanians under our purview. I look forward to seeing the passage of these bills by the General Assembly and a signature by the governor as our seniors deserve better protections under the law.”
House Bill 1428, sponsored by Rep. Kurt Masser (R-Columbia/Montour/Northumberland), would amend the Health Care Facilities Act to allow residents or legal guardians of a resident to place electronic monitoring devices in a room with appropriate notices and consent of the facility and other residents.
House Bill 1429, sponsored by Rep. Lynda Schlegal Culver (R-Northumberland/Snyder), would amend Title 18 to give the attorney general’s office concurrent jurisdiction to investigate individuals who use their position of trust to financially exploit older adults and care-dependent people.
House Bill 1430, sponsored by Day, would amend the Older Adult Protective Services Act to add a definition of financial exploitation and establish a private right of action for certain financial crimes, and add a $100 surcharge that goes to the Pennsylvania Lottery.
House Bill 1431, sponsored by Rep. Kate Klunk (R-York), amends Title 18 to establish abuse of social media by employees who post pictures of care-dependent individuals without permission and categorize the crime as a misdemeanor.
House Bill 975, sponsored by Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland), amends Title 18, further providing for the offense of institutional sexual assault.
House Bill 996, sponsored by Rep. Eric Davanzo (R-Westmoreland), is an act providing for access to long-term care facilities for members of the clergy, for additional safety requirements for residents, for suspension of access for members of the clergy and for personal protective equipment for members of the clergy.
