Wednesday, June 01, 2011

St. Rep. Dovilla Announces Passage of Elder Abuse Awareness Legislation

Release:
COLUMBUS—State Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 215, which would designate June 15th as “Elder Abuse Awareness Day.”

House Bill 215 specifies that the designation is made to increase public awareness of the innocent victims of elder abuse. It was introduced in early May and received overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill passed by a vote of 93-4 from the House.

“One important role of communities and government is to protect the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Dovilla. “As someone who is blessed to have three living grandparents in their late 80s, I am aware of how vulnerable our senior citizens can be. The goal of this legislation is to shine a spotlight on this often unrecognized public policy issue.”

The need for this legislation was brought to Representative Dovilla’s attention by Kathy Lowery, Senior Director for the City of Olmsted Falls, in an example of a constituent illuminating an issue on which she and others sought action from their state government. It follows on recognition of Elder Abuse Awareness Day at the international level by the World Health Organization and several other jurisdictions in the United States.

House Bill 215 will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.