Senate passes elder guardianship bill

State Senator Rick Jones

LANSING – The state Senate has passed a bill from state Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, meant to prevent Michigan senior citizens from being taken out of state and abused.

Jones’ Senate Bill 270 allows Michigan judges to take jurisdiction over questions of elderly guardianship if certain criteria dealing with everything from the wishes of the senior to how long they’ve lived in the state to where their property is.

In a statement, Jones said his bill was inspired by a Michigan woman whose son took her to another state and put her on drugs that made her seem incompetent, which he used to have himself appointed guardian so he could “drain her bank accounts.” The woman’s family in Michigan had to fight to bring her back here and “once off the drugs, it was clear the woman did not need a guardian,” the statement said. That case was made more difficult because a Michigan judge found he had no jurisdiction.

Under the bill, “Michigan courts should have the power to stop someone from taking advantage of our most vulnerable residents — our seniors,” Jones said in a statement.

The bill passed 37-0 and now heads to the state House.

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Senate passes elder guardianship bill