Michigan committee hears package to license professional guardians, with lawmakers and experts urging statewide oversight

The Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee heard testimony on a three-bill package that would create statewide licensure and oversight for professional guardians and conservators, sponsors and witnesses said at a committee hearing in Lansing.

Representative Schmaltz, the sponsor who introduced the package alongside Representatives Jimmy Wilson and Kurt Vanderwall, said the bills would "put some common sense guardrails into Michigan's guardianship system" and establish a licensing regime administered by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Schmaltz told the committee the package would require professional guardians who serve three or more unrelated wards to obtain a state license, pass the Center for Guardianship Certification exam, submit to criminal background checks, carry professional liability insurance and complete continuing education.

Supporters said the current system leaves vulnerable adults exposed to neglect and financial abuse because there is no statewide credentialing or consistent oversight. Georgia Callas, president of the Michigan Guardianship Association, told…