On the recordJune 22, 2021
I am proud to support H.R. 2922, the ``Elder Abuse Protection Act.'' As Chairman Nadler detailed, the sheer number of elder abuse cases is astounding and shameful, and the pandemic has only worsened the economic and emotional circumstances that so many seniors face. This problem is particularly grave for linguistic-minority groups. My hometown of Houston has a large Hispanic community, and I am particularly concerned with efforts to exploit my elder Spanish- speaking constituents. In Texas, 20 percent of Hispanics are 65 years old or older. One study of this population found that limited English proficiency was a barrier to accessing medical and social services. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this bill because it would make permanent the Elder Justice Initiative in the Department of Justice and require it translate into Spanish those resources the initiative makes available to the public. The cost of translating these educational materials is small compared to the benefit they would bring. It would be a modest undertaking for the Department of Justice, given that DOJ already has litigation translation services in place. Lastly, this bill makes permanent the National Elder Fraud Hotline. Since March 2020, the hotline has answered tens of thousands of calls from elder Americans who have called in need of support, offering a service to get information on how to prevent elder fraud for the many elder Americans who don't have access to the internet. I commend Ms.…
