S. 547: Senior Financial Empowerment Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-03-07 · Commerce · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-03-07 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Senior Financial Empowerment Act of 2017

Plain summary

Senior Financial Empowerment Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to disseminate to senior citizens and their families and caregivers information regarding mail, telemarketing, and Internet fraud that targets senior citizens. The information must: (1) teach safe and smart financial practices, (2) provide instructions on how to refer a fraud complaint to law enforcement, and (3) include a toll-free telephone number that connects to a live individual who answers calls from seniors seeking advice about scams or how to report instances of fraud. The Department of Justice may award grants for the prevention of senior citizen fraud to state attorneys general, state or local law enforcement, senior centers, or nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to seniors. Priority shall be given to entities with public-private partnerships with computer or software companies that develop Internet scam prevention tools. The FTC must provide education regarding legal obligations, and concerning industry best practices addressing financial exploitation and neglect of seniors, to: (1) depository institutions, credit offices, remittance transfer providers, and general-use prepaid card distributors; and (2) financial institution employees who may be able to identify elder financial abuse. State agencies may not receive federal funds under this bill without ensuring that such financial entities in their states receive training on recognizing and reporting financial exploitation and neglect of seniors. The National Institutes of Health must research the increased vulnerability of seniors to scams and fraud due to age-related health and neurological conditions. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that a week in March of each year should be designated as National Senior Fraud Awareness Week.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Senior Financial Empowerment Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Susan M. Collins (R-ME)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] reported raising $3.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s547.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s547 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115