Subcommittee on Senate Bill 2029 hears concerns about funding, definitions and immunity in plan to centralize guardianship services

The Judiciary subcommittee on Senate Bill 2029 met to discuss a proposal to centralize guardianship and conservatorship programs under a single administrative office, with supporters and stakeholders urging clarity on funding, definitions and legal protections.

Senator Paulson, chair of the subcommittee, opened the meeting and invited witnesses and stakeholders to describe how the consolidation would affect current programs and contracts. Christopher Dodson of the North Dakota Catholic Conference said Catholic Charities operates two guardianship programs and warned that pooling funds could affect existing grants and contracts. "We have 2 guardianship programs at Catholic Charities," Dodson said, adding that one program is an older federal/state-funded grant and another is a more recent county/indigent contract.

Sally Halawa, state court administrator, described the bill’s structure and history. "We've been working toward this for almost 14 years," Halawa said, recounting a long-running effort to create a single entity that could oversee guardianship services. She outlined the bill’s model: a commission under the…