This week, I want to ask you all to take a little bit of time out of your schedules to think about an important issue: elder abuse. Though it may not always make the headlines, elder abuse is a real problem. Caretakers, neighbors, and sometimes even family members can treat Illinois seniors badly; physically, mentally, financially, and sexually abusing them.
A new law I sponsored should help protect Illinois’ seniors from elder abuse and neglect. Signed just last week, House Bill 5098 will require police officers to receive training on how to recognize the signs of elder abuse. Though the police have been required to report elder abuse for years, there has never been a training requirement before.
State Senator Gary Forby (D-Benton) was upset to learn that the Department of Agriculture abruptly decided to end 25 years of tradition and drop Combined Veterans Association (CVA) of Illinois as the beer vendor at the DuQuoin State Fair. According to CVA officials, the DuQuoin State Fair was its main fundraiser for Southern Illinois veterans.
More details about Governor Pat Quinn’s plan to shutdown Tamms Correctional Center and other Illinois prisons and youth centers emerged over the weekend as a report in the Southern Illinoisan revealed that Quinn is looking to send more of Illinois’ worst inmates to other states.