Older Iowans Legislature
Pursuing Quality of Life of Iowa's Senior Citizens
The Older Iowans Legislature is a statewide non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization. Its members advocate for state legislators and the Governor to sign legislation that will result in an improved “Quality of Life for Older Iowans”.
The Older Iowans Legislature places special emphasis on the frail elderly; those citizens who have contributed much to our society, but have exhausted their resources and in need of assistance to lead meaningful lives.
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Report from the Older Iowans Legislature Friday February 15, 2019
Members and friends of the Older Iowans Legislature:
The Older Iowans Legislature is pleased that four of the five 2018 OIL Priority Bills/Issues submitted to the 2019 Iowa General Assembly now appear as Senate Files and one House File:
• Senate File 144 (housing geriatric sex offenders)
• Senate File 244 (comprehensive approach to detecting, managing, and preventing elder abuse)
• Senate File 190 (funding home modifications to help older adults to safely stay in their own homes)
• Senate File 210 (THE CARE ACT)
• House File 340 (THE CARE ACT)
The Older Iowans Legislature is closely following these Files now On Calendar
• Senate File 152 (definition of vulnerable elder)
• House File 328 (definition of vulnerable elder)
• Senate File 153 (exploitation of a dependent adult by a caretaker)
• House File 323 (exploitation of a dependent adult by a caretaker)
• House File 304 (personal degradation by caretakers of dependent adults in facilities and programs regulated by the department of inspections and appeals)
OIL PRIORITY FILES IN THE 2019 IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Senate File 244: A bill for an act relating to a study concerning a comprehensive approach to detecting, managing, and preventing elder abuse.
• The Older Iowans Legislature on September 25, 2018 enacted OIL Bill 18-01B: A bill for an act to provide a comprehensive approach to Iowa Elder Abuse Law
• The bill requires the department on aging to conduct an elder abuse study with representatives for the department on aging, the department of human services, the department of inspections and appeals, the department of public safety, the department of corrections, the division of insurance of the department of commerce, the department of justice, AARP Iowa, the older Iowans legislature, and other stakeholders as deemed appropriate by the department on aging to study issues and develop policy recommendations relating to the detection, management, and prevention of elder abuse.
• The study group shall examine issues relating to the protection of Iowans 60 years of age and older against all of the recognized categories of abuse as outlined by the national center on elder abuse; the definition of mandatory reporters of elder abuse; the availability of legal and financial assistance for victims of elder abuse; educational and training requirements for medical staff, investigators, and others; the establishment of a central registry of persons who have committed elder abuse; access to information necessary to maximize assistance to elder abuse victims while protecting victim privacy; the use of multidisciplinary teams that aid in the detection, management, and prevention of elder abuse; the utilization of special elder abuse investigators; and existing laws regarding elder abuse.
• February 12, 2019: Introduced, referred to Human Resources
• February 13, 2019: Subcommittee: Segebart, Garrett and Ragan
• House File 340: A bill for an act providing for the designation of a lay caregiver relating to a patient’s inpatient stay at a hospital. (Companion to Senate File 84, now Senate File 210).
• The Older Iowans Legislature on September 25, 2018 enacted support for the CARE ACT as one of its Priority Issues
• February 11, 2019: Introduced, referred to Human Resources
• February 12, 2019: Subcommittee: Dolecheck, Konfrst and Moore, T
• Senate File 210: A bill for an act providing for the designation of a lay caregiver relating to a patient’s inpatient stay at a hospital. (Successor to Senate File 84)
• The Older Iowans Legislature on September 25, 2018 enacted support for the CARE ACT as one of its Priority Issues
• The bill requires a hospital to adopt and maintain evidence-based discharge policies and procedures that provide for an assessment of the patient’s ability for self-care after discharge and provide the patient or, if applicable, the patient’s legal representative, with an opportunity to designate one lay caregiver prior to the patient’s discharge from the hospital.
• February 7, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
• February 7, 2 019: Committee report, approving bill
• Senate File 190: A bill for an act establishing a home modification grant program within the department on aging, and providing an appropriation.
• The Older Iowans Legislature on September 25, 2018 enacted OIL Bill 18-02: A bill for an act to provide state assistance in funding modifications to help older adults to safely stay in their own homes.
• To receive a grant under the program, a qualified homeowner must have an income at or below the annual Iowa median household income, be the owner of a residential real property in the state that is the primary residence of the owner, and be a qualified person or reside with a spouse or dependent who is a quailed person.
• Grants under the program are limited to not more than $5,000 per primary residence and may only be used for modifications or improvements to a qualified person’s residence that are certified by a medical provider as necessary to accommodate the qualified person.
• Under the bill, a “modification or improvement” does not include the construction of a new residence, or an addition to or modification of an existing residence that expands the living area but is not otherwise described as an allowable modification or improvement under the bill.
• February 5, 2019: Introduced, referred to Human Resources
• February 5, 2019: Subcommittee: Costello, Carlin and Jochum
• Senate File 144: A bill for an act relating to the development and issuance of a request for proposals to provide housing for certain geriatric persons.
• The Older Iowans Legislature on September 25, 2018 enacted OIL Bill 18-01A: A bill for an act to implement action on the Geriatric Patient Housing Review Report.
• This bill requires the department on aging and the departments of human services, inspections and appeals, and corrections, cooperatively, to develop and issue a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit potential operators of a facility in the state for geriatric persons, including geriatric individuals who are registered on the sex offender registry or who are sexually aggressive.
• January 29, 2019: Introduced, referred to Human Resources
• February 5, 2019: Subcommittee: Segebart, Carlin, and Ragan
FILES OF PRIMARY INTEREST TO THE OLDER IOWANS LEGISLATURE
• House File 323: A bill for an act relating to the exploitation of a dependent adult by a caretaker. (Formerly House Study Bill 21) (Companion to Senate File 153)
• February 8, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
• Senate File 153: A bill for an act relating to the exploitation of a dependent adult by a caretaker. (Formerly Senate Study Bill 1015)
• The bill eliminates the requirement that a caregiver taking unfair advantage of a dependent adult’s physical or financial resources must do so for the caregiver’s own personal or pecuniary profit.
• January 30, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
• January 30, 2019: Committee report, approving bill
• Senate File 152: A bill for an act relating to the definition of vulnerable elder. (Formerly Senate Study Bill 1014)
• The bill modifies the definition of vulnerable elder to provide that a “vulnerable elder” is a person 60 years of age or older who is unable to protect himself or herself from elder abuse as a result of both the person’s age and mental or physical condition.
• January 30, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
• January 30, 2019: Committee report, approving bill
• House File 328: A bill for an act relating to the definition of vulnerable elder. (Formerly House Study Bill 30)
• February 8, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
• House File 304: A bill for an act relating to reports of personal degradation by caretakers of dependent adults in facilities and programs regulated by the department of inspections and appeals. (Successor to House Study Bill 74)
• The bill expands current law to provide that a report of dependent adult abuse involving personal degradation by a caretaker of a dependent adult in a facility or program which DIA determines is minor, isolated, and unlikely to reoccur shall be collected and maintained by DHS as an assessment only for a five-year period, shall not be included in the central dependent adult abuse registry, and shall not be considered founded dependent adult abuse.
• February 6, 2019: Introduced, placed on calendar
STUDY BILLS OF INTEREST TO THE OLDER IOWANS LEGISLATURE
• House Study Bill 112: A bill for an act including personal degradation of a dependent adult as a form of dependent adult abuse by a caretaker regulated by the department of human services, and making penalties applicable.
• By Committee on Judiciary
• February 4, 2019: Subcommittee: Lohse, Bergan and B. Meyer
• Senate Study Bill 1073: A bill for an act relating to older individuals and dependent adults and creating certain criminal offenses and civil actions, and providing penalties.
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 30, 2019: Subcommittee: Nunn, Kinney, and Sweeny
• Senate Study Bill 1061: A bill for an act creating the criminal offense of theft against a vulnerable elder and providing penalties.
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 29, 2019: Subcommittee: Nunn, Kinney, and Whiting
• Senate Study Bill 1062: A bill for an act including personal degradation of a dependent adult as a form of dependent adult abuse by a caretaker regulated by the department of human services and making penalties applicable.
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 29, 2019: Subcommittee: Chapman, Kinney and Nunn
• February 6, 2019: Subcommittee recommends passage
• House Study Bill 70: A bill for an act relating to older individuals and dependent adults and creating certain criminal offenses and civil actions, and providing penalties.
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 28, 2019: Subcommittee: Gustafson, Olson, and Paustian
• Senate Study Bill 1018: A bill for an act relating to the opening of guardianships for adults and conservatorships for adults and minors and the administration of guardianships and conservatorships
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 15, 2019: Subcommittee: Dawson, Bisignano, and Shipley
• February 11, 2019: Subcommittee reassigned: Dawson, Bisignano, and Schultz
• House Study Bill 22: A bill for an act relating to the opening of guardianships for adults and conservatorships for adults and minors and the administration of guardianships and conservatorships
• By Committee on Judiciary
• January 22, 2019: Subcommittee: Hinson, Hite, and Wolfe
• February 6, 2019: Subcommittee recommends passage
FILES OF SECONDARY INTEREST TO THE OLDER IOWANS LEGISLATURE
• House File 234: A bill for an act providing a property assessment adjustment for certain property of persons who have attained the age of sixty-seven years, six months, providing a penalty, and including retroactive and other applicability provisions.
• February 5, 2019: Introduced, referred to Local Government
• Senate File 10: A bill for an act relating to grandparent and great-grandparent visitation
• January 15, 2019: Introduced, referred to Judiciary
• January 16, 2019: Subcommittee: Garrett, Bisagnano, and Schultz
• Senate File 38: A bill for an act providing a property assessment adjustment for certain property of persons who have attained the age of sixty-five, providing a penalty and including retroactive and other applicability provisions
• January 15, 2019: Introduced, referred to Ways and Means
• January 17, 2019: Subcommittee: Feenstra, Carlin, and Dotzler
• House File 37: A bill for an act relating to reduced fees for camping, use of rental facilities, and other special privileges for certain older Iowans
• January 17, 2019: Introduced, referred to Natural Resources
• Senate File 100: A bill for an act establishing a homestead adjustment property tax credit for certain property of persons who have attained the age of sixty-five or who are totally disabled, applying income limitations, providing a penalty, making appropriations, and including retroactive and other applicability provisions.
• January 24, 2019: Introduced, referred to Ways and Means
• January 29, 2019: Subcommittee: Feenstra, Carlin, and Jochum
Ron Jome
Secretary, Board of Directors, Older Iowans Legislature