State Rep. Troy's elder abuse reporting bill unanimously passes Ohio House

State Rep. Daniel P. Troy, D-Willowick, in a joint effort with State Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, recently secured unanimous (86-0) passage of his House Bill 419.

According to Troy’s office, the measure aims to protect vulnerable seniors from the increasing prevalence of abuse, neglect and exploitation by closing a loophole within Ohio’s mandatory elder abuse reporting laws.

“As legislators, protecting the health and well-being of our citizenry is of the utmost importance,” Troy stated in a news release. “This bill provides an excellent opportunity for members of the Ohio General Assembly to demonstrate our commitment to protecting seniors and sends a strong message that Ohio will not tolerate elder abuse.”

Under current Ohio law, “an individual who knowingly fails to report the abuse, neglect or exploitation of a senior citizen may be fined up to $500….”

 However, as detailed to Troy by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the law provides no guidance or direction for administering or collecting any imposed fines, which often leads to “judicial ambiguity and justice being unserved….”

The bill improves the current mandatory reporting laws by eliminating confusion and elevating the punishment for failing to report elder abuse to a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, thereby bringing it in line with penalties for failing to report child abuse, the release stated.

Suzanne Casar, director of the Lake County Department of Job and Family Services, said legislative changes in House Bill 419 are greatly needed.

“As the law stands right now, it is incredibly difficult to hold those who knowingly fail to report suspected elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation accountable,” she added. “The proposed changes would encourage those individuals who have an obligation to report suspected maltreatment to take this responsibility even more seriously and ultimately benefit Ohio’s vulnerable seniors.”

Before the pandemic, Troy was a member of a collaborative group in Lake County that studied and reported on elder justice issues, and as Ohio’s aging population continues to grow, the issue of abuse is becoming more prominent.

 A recent report from Policy Matters estimated that nearly 214,000 instances of elder abuse occur every year in Ohio, with the vast majority unreported.

The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for consideration.