TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Attorney General Derek Schmidt and two county prosecutors are asking the Kansas Legislature to strengthen the state’s law against abusing the elderly.
Schmidt, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett say they want lawmakers to expand the legal definition for mistreating an elderly person. Legislators convene their annual session Monday.
The current law makes financial abuse a felony but does not cover physical abuse against the elderly. The proposal from Schmidt, Howe and Bennett would list inflicting a physical injury, unreasonably confining or unreasonably punishing elders as mistreatment.
Also, their proposal would include violations of laws governing guardians and financial conservatorships in the definition of mistreatment of the elderly.
Schmidt says as the state’s elderly population grows, it needs to update its laws.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.