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Committee backs task force to study fraud against older Louisianans, recommends reporting to commerce panels
Summary
House Concurrent Resolution 53 would create a task force to study fraud and identity theft targeting older residents and produce recommendations to the House and Senate Commerce Committees; AARP told the committee the state lost tens of millions to scams in recent months and urged action.
The House Commerce Committee voted to report House Concurrent Resolution 53, establishing a task force to study fraud and identity theft affecting older Louisianans.
Representative Carver, sponsor of the resolution, said a constituent’s identity‑theft case and AARP outreach prompted the proposal. Latonya Scott of AARP told the committee older adults “often have life savings” and that recent AARP data show thousands of state residents lost substantial sums to scams. “I urge the committee to vote yes on HCR 53,” Scott said.
Purpose and scope
HCR 53 would bring together state and local officials, consumer advocates, law‑enforcement partners and other stakeholders to assess current practices, identify gaps in reporting and enforcement, and develop actionable recommendations to strengthen consumer protections and law‑enforcement response. The committee adopted an amendment to require the task force to report its findings to both the House Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee.
Committee action
With technical amendments adopted, Representative Newell moved the resolution out of committee; members expressed interest in ensuring that task‑force findings and practical prevention materials are distributed to community partners (for example, councils on aging) and accessible to the public.
Next steps
Sponsors said the task force will collect data and propose legislative reforms where needed; AARP and other partners pledged to help disseminate guidance and victim support resources.
