I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3885 
To direct the Attorney General to establish guidelines for a model elder 
abuse registry and to provide grants to States for establishing and 
operating such a registry, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 
Mr. SCHNEIDER (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To direct the Attorney General to establish guidelines for 
a model elder abuse registry and to provide grants to 
States for establishing and operating such a registry, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Senior Citizen Protec-
tion Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. MODEL ELDER ABUSE REGISTRY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General 
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shall establish guidelines for States to design and imple-
ment elder abuse registries. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The guidelines established under 
subsection (a) shall be designed to provide guidance to 
States to do the following: 
(1) Identify which types of individuals to place 
on an elder abuse registry, including— 
(A) individuals convicted of a crime involv-
ing elder abuse; and 
(B) individuals found by a State agency to 
have committed elder abuse. 
(2) Provide, for each individual placed on the 
registry, the information to be included for such in-
dividual in the elder abuse registry, including— 
(A) the circumstances surrounding the 
elder abuse; 
(B) the type of abuse committed; and 
(C) the relationship of the individual to the 
victim. 
(3) Prior to placement on the registry, notify 
each individual to be placed on the registry of such 
individual’s placement on the registry. 
(4) Provide, for each individual to be placed on 
the registry, the opportunity to appeal placement on 
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the registry within a reasonable period of time be-
fore such individual’s placement on the registry. 
(5) Provide the duration of placement on the 
registry. 
(6) Provide for the removal of individuals who 
should no longer be placed on the registry. 
(7) Make elder abuse registries readily acces-
sible to the public, including by— 
(A) posting the information contained in 
the registry onto the Internet; and 
(B) making the registry readily searchable. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In developing such guidelines 
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall consult 
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 
appropriate public and private entities. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may make 
grants to States for establishing and operating elder abuse 
registries. 
(b) APPLICATION.—A State may apply for a grant 
under this section at such time and in such form as the 
Attorney General may require. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—The recipient of a grant under 
this section shall use the funds to— 
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(1) establish an elder abuse registry that sub-
stantially conforms to the guidelines established pur-
suant to section 2; and 
(2) enact legislation requiring entities that pro-
vide health care services or long-term care to elders 
in the State to check the State elder abuse registry 
before hiring individuals for such services to ensure 
that such individuals have not been found by a State 
agency to have committed elder abuse. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL ELDER ABUSE REGISTRY. 
Beginning, not less than two years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall es-
tablish and maintain a national database of content from 
State elder abuse registries that substantially conforms to 
the guidelines established pursuant to section 2. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘abuse’’ means the knowing in-
fliction of physical or psychological harm or the 
knowing deprivation of goods or services that are 
necessary to meet essential needs or to avoid phys-
ical or psychological harm. 
(2) The term ‘‘caregiver’’ means an individual 
who has the responsibility for the care of an elder, 
either voluntarily, by contract, by receipt of payment 
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for care, or as a result of the operation of law, and 
means a family member or other individual who pro-
vides (on behalf of such individual or of a public or 
private agency, organization, or institution) com-
pensated or uncompensated care to an elder who 
needs supportive services in any setting. 
(3) The term ‘‘elder’’ means an individual aged 
65 years or older. 
(4) The term ‘‘elder abuse’’ means the abuse, 
neglect, mistreatment, or exploitation of an elder. 
(5) The term ‘‘exploitation’’ means the fraudu-
lent or otherwise illegal, unauthorized, or improper 
act or process of an individual, including a caregiver 
or fiduciary, that uses the resources of an elder for 
monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain, or that 
results in depriving an elder of rightful access to, or 
use of, benefits, resources, belongings, or assets. 
(6) The term ‘‘fiduciary’’— 
(A) means a person or entity with the legal 
responsibility— 
(i) to make decisions on behalf of and 
for the benefit of another person; and 
(ii) to act in good faith and with fair-
ness; and 
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