Alexander offers new legislation

The Oconee-Pickens state senator, Thomas Alexander, is the lawmaker behind new legislation to create “Senior Trafficking and Exploitation Reform of 2014” in South Carolina. And yesterday, Senator Alexander joined Lt. Governor Glenn McConnell at a Columbia news conference. The bill seeks to deter people who have previously manipulated the system by closing existing loopholes, increasing penalties for those knowingly and intentionally cause harm, and by addressing new forms of abuse and exploitation that were not recognized or defined by previous law. Alexander and McConnell believe this is a pro-active approach to prepare the state for a large increase of older adults who are becoming increasingly vulnerable to new forms of clever schemes and creative tactics by scammers and predators. South Carolina is now home to more than 900 thousand seniors, but over the next 15 years the number is expected to double.