Lawmakers consider centralizing guardianship oversight, funding under SB 2029

At a Judiciary subcommittee meeting on Senate Bill 2029, lawmakers, court officials and guardians debated whether to centralize guardianship oversight and payments in a new Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship and how to balance stricter accountability with the risk of losing guardians.

The bill would move guardianship-related payments and fiscal oversight under a court-backed office, remove the Association of Counties from the current payment process, and subject the program to state audits. Proponents and witnesses said centralized accounting would make appropriations more transparent; critics warned the measure, as drafted, could be litigatory, administratively heavy and discourage both professional and family guardianship.

Supporters and experts urged accountability but emphasized different approaches. Scott Bernstein, executive director of Guardian and Protective Services, said professional guardians support monitoring but cautioned against an overly litigation-based model: "No guardian that is worth their salt is ever gonna be opposed to…