Issue Position: Protecting Seniors

Issue Position

Our seniors deserve the respect and care that they have earned throughout their lifetime. Maryland's senior population will only continue to rise in the coming years. As a result, the number of crimes against seniors will also increase. Far too often, scam artists perceive senior citizens as vulnerable and relatively wealthy due to their ability to access retirement accounts and pensions.

Poverty and hunger are also far too prevalent, with nearly one in five low-income seniors in Maryland struggling to eat. Many seniors have seen their retirement investments and home equity dwindle during the economic downturn. As if such challenges were not enough, these vulnerable individuals also face financial exploitation, telemarketing and sweepstakes scams, abusive treatment in care facilities, and a host of other offenses.

As a member of the Senate, I have led successful legislative efforts to protect seniors:

Led efforts to enact legislation that enabled seniors with mortgages at or above market interest rates to refinance at more favorable rates;

Established much needed funding for senior housing;

Outlawed foreclosure scams against the elderly;

Granted the Attorney General authority to prosecute identity theft;

Protected the voting rights of seniors.

As Attorney General, I want to make Maryland a place where people feel more secure as they grow older. I will use the Attorney General's office to engage directly with Maryland's senior advocacy organizations, in both the public and private sector, and work to educate both seniors and the communities that support them about threats from scam artists and abusers. The Maryland Department of Aging and the Attorney General's Elder Abuse Initiative have made strides in educating the public, but much more needs to be done before every senior can count on fair and expert treatment from care workers, full access to health and wellness services, and absolute protection from fraud and scams.

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