Senator Sarah Love told the Judicial Proceedings Committee that SB347 would allow local Adult Protective Services (APS) agencies to request assistance and share information with federal law‑enforcement entities when investigating suspected elder financial exploitation.

“Right now a local department may share information with a state's attorney, law enforcement or related state agencies, but it may not request the assistance of federal agencies,” Love said. She cited scenarios — mail‑based fraud and interstate scams — where local agencies lack the federal channels needed to pursue and disrupt large, cross‑border financial exploitation schemes.

Nut graf: Montgomery County APS officials, the county state’s attorney’s special‑victims division and AARP Maryland told the panel that scammers frequently use the postal system, interstate mail and international networks to steal tens of thousands from vulnerable adults, and federal partners such as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are often required to investigate or recover assets.

Montgomery County APS supervisors described specific casework in which clients lost six‑figure sums after responding to foreign “release” scams, or where stolen property moved rapidly by mail. Amy Thomas, a county APS investigator with a specialty in financial exploitation, testified that local prosecutors lack resources to pursue most scams and that the Postal Inspection Service and federal partners play a crucial role in successful prosecutions and occasional asset recovery. Debbie Feinstein, chief of the Special Victims Division at the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and chair of the county’s Elder Vulnerable Adult Abuse Task Force, said the law would facilitate collaboration where federal jurisdiction is needed.

Ending: Several lawmakers expressed support and asked clarifying questions about data protections and about how the statutory change would interact with an administrative, inter‑agency task‑force model. AARP Maryland supported the bill and emphasized APS’s role in protecting vulnerable adults. The committee took no vote; sponsors and county advocates said the change is technical but necessary for cross‑border prosecutions.