by Rep Kym Pine (R-Ewa)

I have made preventing elder abuse one of my top priorities at the Legislature this year.  Our Kupuna work all their lives to provide for us, and I have seen too many examples, in our own community, of them being taken advantage of later in life. Worse, family members may often not discover that their elderly relative has been taken advantage of financially until years later.

HB1465, Relating to Powers of Attorney, is being heard this Thursday, March 3 at 2:30pm, at the Hawaii State Capitol, Conference Room 329.

HB 1465 – Makes it safer for elders to use a Power of Attorney: Sadly, the most widely exploited document used by perpetrators of elderly abuse is the Power of Attorney because it can give the perpetrator immediate access to the victim’s bank accounts, real estate, and other valuable property unlike a will, trust, or estate planning document that may not take effect for many years. I have introduced HB1465 to make such exploitation more difficult by requiring a Power of Attorney to be signed by two non-party witnesses and notarized.

Please try to come to this important hearing if you can.  Using the link below, you can submit your testimony now.

• To begin submitting testimony on HB 1465, go to: http://capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/
• To see the hearing agenda, click here: http://capitol.hawaii.gov/session2011/hearingnotices/HEARING_JUD_03-03-11_.HTM
• To get your copy of HB 1465, go to: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2011/Bills/HB1465_.HTM

In addition to hearing from you, please help us to spread the word to all interested parties and invite them to show up and testify for this important bill.

I hope to see you at this important hearing on Thursday.  However, if you can't make it please take just a moment to send in your testimony, and help us stop the financial abuse of our elders.

Please contact my office at 586-9730 with any questions!