require States to write and enforce laws that prevent and punish Power of Attorney abuse.

Abuse of Powers of Attorney (POA), especially in the case of the elderly, is currently very hard to recognize and difficult to prosecute because of the limitations in or absence of state laws that define it. When you are a senior it is increasingly more difficult to monitor whether your agent is acting on your behalf and it is estimated that over 80,000 cases of elder abuse through power of attorney abuse occur each year. We believe that state laws should recognize this and impose legal requirements over the whole process of power of attorney; from drawing up the POA, allowing for auditing the POA and defining specific procedures and penalties for prosecution of abuse where the principal is incapacitated or not.