Elder Abuse Protection Act of 2021
Bill: S.2181 | Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Elder Abuse Protection Act of 2021
This bill provides statutory authority for the Elder Justice Initiative, which coordinates activities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud.
The bill requires DOJ's Elder Justice Coordinator to serve as the head of the initiative.
The bill also requires the initiative to establish a national elder fraud telephone hotline, promote civil legal aid to victims of elder fraud and elder abuse, and make resources available online in English and Spanish.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Elder Abuse Protection Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. ELDER JUSTICE INITIATIVE.

    Section 101(b) of the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act 
(34 U.S.C. 21711(b)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Elder Justice Initiative.--
            ``(1) Permanent initiative.--The Attorney General shall 
        establish an Elder Justice Initiative to coordinate criminal 
        enforcement and public engagement efforts to combat elder 
        abuse, neglect, and financial fraud and scams that target 
        elders, and to support and coordinate the efforts of the Elder 
        Justice Coordinator designated under subsection (a).
            ``(2) Department of justice elder justice coordinator.--The 
        Attorney General shall designate an Elder Justice Coordinator 
        within the Department of Justice who, in addition to any other 
        responsibilities, shall be responsible for--
                    ``(A) coordinating and supporting the law 
                enforcement efforts and policy activities as the head 
                of the Elder Justice Initiative for the Department of 
                Justice on elder justice issues;
                    ``(B) evaluating training models to determine best 
                practices and creating or compiling and making publicly 
                available replication guides and training materials for 
                law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, 
                emergency responders, individuals working in victim 
                services, adult protective services, social services, 
                and public safety, medical personnel, mental health 
                personnel, financial services personnel, and any other 
                individuals whose work may bring them in contact with 
                elder abuse regarding how to--
                            ``(i) conduct investigations in elder abuse 
                        cases;
                            ``(ii) address evidentiary issues and other 
                        legal issues; and
                            ``(iii) appropriately assess, respond to, 
                        and interact with victims and witnesses in 
                        elder abuse cases, including in administrative, 
                        civil, and criminal judicial proceedings; and
                    ``(C) carrying out such other duties as the 
                Attorney General determines necessary in connection 
                with enhancing the understanding, prevention, and 
                detection of, and response to, elder abuse.
            ``(3) Online public resources.--The Elder Justice 
        Initiative shall maintain and publish on the internet, 
        information aimed at protecting elders from fraudulent schemes 
        and contain resources aimed at preventing elder abuse.
            ``(4) Telephone hotline.--The Attorney General, in 
        consultation with the Elder Justice Coordinator and the Office 
        of Victims of Crime, shall establish a national elder fraud 
        telephone hotline to provide support to victims and resources 
        to help victims, including referrals to federal, local and 
        state law enforcement where appropriate.
            ``(5) Tribal consultation.--The Elder Justice Coordinator 
        shall provide recommendations to the Office of Tribal Justice 
        on a yearly basis on how to address elder abuse and elder fraud 
        that takes place on federally recognized tribal reservations.
            ``(6) Legal aid.--The Elder Justice Coordinator shall 
        consult with components of the Department of Justice to promote 
        the provision of civil legal aid to victims of elder abuse and 
        elder fraud.
            ``(7) Spanish language resources.--The Attorney General 
        shall ensure that Elder Justice Initiative online resources are 
        available in Spanish and link linguistically appropriate 
        resources to inform Spanish-speaking elders of Federal and 
        State resources to combat fraud and abuse that targets the 
        elderly, to include--
                    ``(A) Spanish-language resources and links that 
                help report instances of elder fraud and abuse to State 
                and local law enforcement; and
                    ``(B) resources that help prevent financial 
                exploitation of elders.''.
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