MICHAEL D.

DOVILLA
7 TH DISTRICT ______

VERN R IFFE CENTER

77 S OUTH HIGH S TREET, 13 TH F LOOR COLUMBUS, OH 43215-6111
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P OLICY AND LEGISLATIVE O VERSIGHT, CHAIRMAN F INANCE & APPROPRIATIONS H IGHER EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE M ILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS

T: (614) 466-4895
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F: (614) 719-6957

Ohio General Assembly

House of Representatives Columbus

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REP07@OHIOHOUSE. GOV

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2013

Contact: Chris Ventura (614) 466-4895

Rep. Mike Dovilla Announces Committee Passage of Elder Justice Act

COLUMBUSState Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) today announced the House Judiciary Committee voted with broad bipartisan support to authorize the Ohio Elder Justice Act. In committee, organizations throughout the state testified on the positive impact the Ohio Elder Justice Act would have on protecting Ohios senior citizens from physical and financial abuse. I am pleased the Ohio Elder Justice Act has been favorably reported for consideration by the Ohio House of Representatives, said Dovilla. After working to successfully secure additional funding for Adult Protective Services in the state budget, now is the time to refocus our efforts on ensuring the correct policies are in place to help protect our senior citizens from abuse and neglect. Some of the key provisions in the Ohio Elder Justice Act include: The requirement of the Department of Job and Family Services to report on the creation of a registry to help identify patterns of abuse; The obligation for employees in several financial fields to report suspected elder abuse to help prevent the elderly from falling victim to financial crimes; and The establishment of a statewide Elder Abuse Commission, which will increase awareness and research of elder abuse, improve policy, funding and programming related to elder abuse, and improve the judicial response to elder abuse victims.

House Bill 49 now awaits a vote by the full Ohio House of Representatives -30-