WASHINGTON (WHDH) - United State Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging the federal government to improve oversight and provide more data on the nation’s state-operated guardianship system in light of singer Britney Spears’ fight to end her conservatorship.
Warren and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland, writing that Spears’ conservatorship has highlight longstanding gaps in the nation’s guardianship system.
“While guardians and conservators often serve selflessly and in the best interest of the person under guardianship, a lack of resources for court oversight and insufficient due process in guardianship proceedings can create significant opportunities for neglect, exploitation, and abuse,” Warren and Casey wrote in the letter. “Although guardianship decisions lie exclusively within the authority of state courts, they can also raise significant federal spending and policy interests, making it imperative that federal officials work collaboratively with state courts to identify gaps in our understanding of problems and develop solutions to address the problems with America’s guardianship systems.”
Warren and Casey are calling on HHS and DOJ to ensure there is a comprehensive national effort to collect demographic information related to guardianships, support individuals under guardianship and their guardians, and protect them from abuse and exploitation.
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