Committee hears sweeping guardianship overhaul that would create Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship under state Supreme Court

The House Human Services Committee opened a hearing on Senate Bill 20 29 on a proposed overhaul of North Dakota's adult guardianship system that would create an Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship (OGC) under the North Dakota Supreme Court and consolidate multiple state‑funded guardianship programs.

The bill, drafted by a task force on guardianship monitoring, would authorize four entities under the Supreme Court: the Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship to contract for public guardianship services and issue licenses; an investigation counsel to look into allegations of guardian misconduct; a Guardianship and Conservatorship Review Board to conduct administrative hearings; and an Operations Committee to set policies and budgets. "I'm here today to testify in support of senate bill 20 29," said Garrick Voigt, staff attorney with the Office of the State Court Administrator, who walked the committee through the bill's text and the task force's recommendations.

Why it matters: Witnesses who backed the bill said it would improve oversight of professional guardians, create licensing and complaint processes, and consolidate roughly $7.1 million in public adult guardianship funding into one judicial‑branch appropriation so the state auditor could review it. Voigt told the committee the measure aims to protect wards, ensure accountability for taxpayer funds and…