MICHAEL D.

DOVILLA
18 TH DISTRICT ______

VERNE R IFFE CENTER

77 S OUTH HIGH S TREET, 12 TH F LOOR COLUMBUS, OH 43215-6111
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ECONOMIC & SMALL B USINESS DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION, V ICE-CHAIRMAN STATE GOVERNMENT & E LECTIONS W AYS & MEANS P OLICY, CHAIRMAN

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

Ohio General Assembly

House of Representatives Columbus
Statement of Representative Mike Dovilla 1st Ohio Elder Abuse Awareness Day Olmsted Falls, Ohio Friday, June 15, 2012

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DISTRICT18@OHR .STATE.OH.US

Thank you all for joining us today. As I begin, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Senator Tom Patton, who first introduced Elder Abuse Awareness Day legislation in the 128th General Assembly. Although the bill did not make its way through the entire legislative process, passing only the Ohio Senate at that time, Tom was intrepid in working with me during the 129th General Assembly, when I reintroduced this bill in the House. After its passage in the House last June, Tom was instrumental in guiding this important legislation through the Senate. Senator, thank you for your partnership and support on this legislation and five of my other bills you helped me enact into law during my first 18 months in the legislature. Needless to say, it is helpful to have as my state senator someone who was not only my predecessor in this House seat, but has now risen to Senate Majority Leader! I would also like to thank my friend, Kathi Lowery. Not many of you may know this, but a little over one year ago, Kathi visited the Statehouse with a group of seniors and it was quite an experience. For many of the seniors, it was the first time they set foot in the Peoples House. In fact, it took over 85 years for my grandparents to visit the Statehouse, and the reason they made the journey from Parma Heights in January 2011 was to watch their grandson take the oath of office. And I am truly blessed to have my maternal grandparents, Don and Phyllis Metzger happily married for over 65 years and still loving life with me here today. While visiting, I had the privilege of talking with Kathi about a subject which you have all seen she is very passionate about elder abuse. Without that conversation, I can tell you House Bill 215 would never have been introduced, and without her continued dedication, House Bill 215 would never have been enacted. We have all heard about many of the awareness days which are passed by all levels of government, and quite honestly, many are enacted and forgotten. But when this bill was enacted Kathi, you may remember this I said that the goal of this bill was to shine a spotlight on this often unrecognized public policy issue, and that our work to protect and honor our senior citizens was only beginning. So, Kathi, if youll join me here again at the podium, I want to take this moment to say again that House Bill 215 was merely a down payment in our continuing effort to protect those who cannot protect themselves. And as a small token of thanks for your work on behalf of seniors and in making this day a reality, please accept this pen with which Governor Kasich signed your bill into law.

That first conversation I had with Kathi brought us here today the first annual recognition of Elder Abuse Awareness Day in the State of Ohio and, looking ahead now, the announcement of critical reforms to adult protective services in our state. For well over a year, Attorney General DeWine and I have been engaged in a deliberative process of receiving ideas and crafting legislation which will fundamentally reform adult protective services. I would like to highlight three of the most significant reforms in the areas of defining elder abuse, reporting elder abuse, and establishing in statute an Elder Abuse Commission. First, we acknowledged that the states current definitions pertaining to elder abuse are significantly outdated. When originally crafted, elder abuse statutes focused on physical abuse. However, in our society we increasingly see elderly individuals who are exploited financially. Among other changes to definitions contained in the Ohio Revised Code, our legislation will add and define financial harm to ensure our seniors life savings and homes are protected. Second, we acknowledged the state lacks the proper reporting requirements to accurately track elder abuse and identify patterns of abuse, as well as provide support to the individuals on the front lines who are charged with protecting our seniors. Our legislation will create a registry to help identify reported patterns of elder abuse. For the first time, Ohio will be able to accurately monitor and track the abuse of our senior citizens. In addition, our legislation will provide a program of ongoing, comprehensive training for protective service caseworkers. With this program, educational materials will be developed and made available to mandatory reporters. Third, we acknowledged the constraints of the Attorney Generals Elder Abuse Commission which was established in 2009. Our legislation will codify this entity, making permanent in statute a statewide Elder Abuse Commission. The new commission will increase awareness and research of elder abuse, work to improve public policy, funding and programming, and improve the judicial response to elder abuse victims. And so, Kathi, you can see today that our work continues and as long as I have the honor of serving the people of our district and this state in the legislature, I can promise you will have an advocate for Ohios seniors and the other vulnerable citizens who need us to defend them among these the children, disabled, and impoverished of our society. We have a calling those of us whom the Lord has called to serve in government to care for the least among us. Today, as we commemorate Elder Abuse Awareness Day and forge the path for strengthening Ohios Adult Protective Services statutes, we serve God by serving our fellow man. At this time, I would like to recognize and turn the podium over to an individual I have had the privilege of knowing since my work with former Senator George Voinovich over a decade ago and for the past year, an individual who has been working with me to advance our goals of protecting our seniors. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome to the 18th Ohio House District the 50th Attorney General of the State of Ohio, the Honorable Mike DeWine.