Senate Bill sb2766

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2766

    By Senator Bennett





    21-1031-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Statewide Public

  3         Guardianship Office; amending s. 744.1083,

  4         F.S.; revising provisions relating to

  5         registration of professional guardians;

  6         providing for an application fee; amending s.

  7         744.1085, F.S.; allowing the Statewide Public

  8         Guardianship Office to charge a fee for

  9         instructional courses; requiring approval of

10         courses; allowing a fee for review and approval

11         of courses; amending s. 744.3135, F.S.;

12         revising provisions relating to credit and

13         criminal investigation; amending s. 744.3145,

14         F.S.; requiring approval of specified courses;

15         allowing a fee; requiring persons appointed to

16         act as guardians to register and to renew that

17         registration; allowing the Statewide Public

18         Guardianship Office to contract with the clerk

19         of the court to perform specified services;

20         amending s. 744.534, F.S.; providing for

21         escheat of interest and income attributable to

22         unclaimed funds; amending s. 744.7021, F.S.;

23         revising the qualifications and duties of the

24         executive director of the office; deleting

25         obsolete reporting requirements; revising the

26         duties of the Statewide Public Guardianship

27         Office; providing for the transfer and use of

28         funds; amending s. 744.703, F.S.; prescribing

29         educational requirements for public guardians;

30         amending s. 744.706, F.S.; revising provisions

31         regarding the preparation of the budget;

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 1         amending s. 744.7082, F.S.; redefining the term

 2         "direct-support organization"; providing an

 3         effective date.

 4  

 5  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

 6  

 7         Section 1.  Section 744.1083, Florida Statutes, is

 8  amended to read:

 9         744.1083  Professional guardian registration.--

10         (1)(a)  A person may act as Effective January 1, 2003,

11  a professional guardian only if the person possesses a valid

12  registration from must register with the Statewide Public

13  Guardianship Office established in part IX of this chapter.

14  The Statewide Public Guardianship Office may contract with the

15  clerk of the court in each county to perform the

16  administrative functions associated with registering

17  professional guardians.

18         (b)  A business organization may act as a professional

19  guardian only if the organization possesses a valid

20  registration from the Statewide Public Guardianship Office. No

21  business organization may be validly registered unless a

22  principal or employee of the organization, who agrees to serve

23  as the organization's qualifying agent for registration

24  purposes, possesses a valid registration from the Statewide

25  Public Guardianship Office. If an organization's qualifying

26  agent ceases to be a principal or employee of the

27  organization, the organization shall have 60 days to

28  substitute a new qualifying agent who possesses a valid

29  registration from the Statewide Public Guardianship Office and

30  to notify the Statewide Public Guardianship Office of this

31  substitution.

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 1         (2)  Registration as a professional guardian under this

 2  section shall be valid for a period of 2 years after issuance,

 3  with registration renewable for additional 2-year periods.

 4  Annual registration shall be made on forms furnished by the

 5  Statewide Public Guardianship Office and accompanied by the

 6  applicable registration fee as determined by rule. Such fee

 7  shall not exceed $25.

 8         (3)  Each application for registration shall be made on

 9  a form or forms adopted for this purpose by the Statewide

10  Public Guardianship Office and shall be accompanied by the

11  applicable registration fee as determined by rule. Such fee

12  may not exceed $50. Each application for registration must

13  include the following information, as well as any other

14  information reasonably required by the Statewide Public

15  Guardianship Office in order to fulfill its statutory

16  purposes:

17         (a)  If the professional guardian is a natural person,

18  the name, address, date of birth, and employer identification

19  or social security number of the professional guardian.

20         (b)  If the professional guardian is a partnership or

21  association, the name, address, and date of birth of its

22  qualifying agent and of every member, and the employer

23  identification number of the partnership or association.

24         (c)  If the professional guardian is a corporation, the

25  name, address, and employer identification number of the

26  corporation; the name, address, and date of birth of its

27  qualifying agent and of each of its directors and officers;

28  the name of its resident agent; and the name, address, and

29  date of birth of each person having at least a 10-percent

30  interest in the corporation.

31  

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 1         (d)  The name, address, date of birth, and employer

 2  identification number, if applicable, of each employee of a

 3  professional guardian who has a fiduciary responsibility to a

 4  ward person providing guardian-delegated financial or personal

 5  guardianship services for wards.

 6         (e)  Documentation that the bonding and educational

 7  requirements of s. 744.1085 have been met, including the name

 8  of the educational course or courses completed, the date each

 9  course was completed, and the providers of those courses, and

10  documentation that background screening has been conducted

11  pursuant to s. 744.3135. Upon a request from an applicant for

12  registration or from the Statewide Public Guardianship Office,

13  the clerk of the court must verify that the criminal history

14  and credit screenings results are in the guardian file. The

15  verification may be given on forms furnished by the Statewide

16  Public Guardianship Office.

17         (4)(a)  At least 30 days before the expiration of a

18  professional guardian's registration, the professional

19  guardian must file an application for renewal with the

20  Statewise Public Guardianship Office, on a form or forms

21  adopted for this purpose, which shall contain information

22  similar to the information required for initial registration.

23  The application must be accompanied by the applicable renewal

24  fee, as determined by rule, which may not exceed $50. The

25  application for renewal must contain documentation that the

26  bonding and continuing education requirements of s. 744.1085

27  have been met, including the name of the educational course or

28  courses completed, the date each course was completed, and the

29  providers of those courses.

30         (b)  No renewal shall be issued unless a new background

31  screening has been conducted on the professional guardian

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 1  pursuant to s. 744.3135. The application for renewal must

 2  contain documentation that a new background screening has been

 3  conducted.

 4         (c)  If the Statewide Public Guardianship Office does

 5  not receive, at least 30 days before the expiration of a

 6  professional guardian's registration, a complete application

 7  for renewal with all required documentation and fees, the

 8  renewal shall be denied. Any subsequent request for

 9  registration from that professional guardian must be submitted

10  as an application for new registration. In addition to the

11  requirements for new registration, such an application must be

12  accompanied by an additional delinquency fee, adopted by rule,

13  which may not exceed $50, and by documentation that the

14  guardian has completed, within the last 2 years, at least 16

15  hours of continuing education meeting the requirements of s.

16  744.1085. This documentation must state the name of the

17  educational course or courses completed, the date each course

18  was completed, and the providers of those courses.

19         (5)(4)  The Statewide Public Guardianship Office may

20  adopt rules necessary to administer this section.

21         (6)(5)  A trust company, a state banking corporation or

22  state savings association authorized and qualified to exercise

23  fiduciary powers in this state, or a national banking

24  association or federal savings and loan association authorized

25  and qualified to exercise fiduciary powers in this state, may,

26  but shall not be required to, register as a professional

27  guardian under this section. If a trust company, state banking

28  corporation, state savings association, national banking

29  association, or federal savings and loan association described

30  in this subsection elects to register as a professional

31  guardian under this subsection, the requirements of subsection

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 1  (3) shall not apply and the registration shall include only

 2  the name, address, and employer identification number of the

 3  registrant, the name and address of its registered agent, if

 4  any, and the documentation described in paragraph (3)(e).

 5         (7)  A court may not award fees for services provided

 6  by a professional guardian unless the professional guardian

 7  possesses a valid registration from the Statewide Public

 8  Guardianship Office. The court may remove any professional

 9  guardian that fails to register within 30 days after

10  appointment. The Statewide Public Guardianship Office, the

11  Attorney General, or the state attorney for the circuit may

12  petition for removal of any professional guardian that has

13  failed to register; or the court may act on its own motion to

14  remove a professional guardian that has failed to register.

15         Section 2.  Subsection (3) of section 744.1085, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended, and subsection (4) is added to that

17  section, to read:

18         744.1085  Regulation of professional guardians;

19  application; bond required; educational requirements.--

20         (3)  Each professional guardian defined in s.

21  744.102(15), on October 1, 1997, must complete receive a

22  minimum of 40 hours of instruction and training before serving

23  as by October 1, 1998, or within 1 year after becoming a

24  professional guardian, whichever occurs later.  Each

25  professional guardian must complete receive a minimum of 16

26  hours of continuing education every 2 calendar years after the

27  issuance of registration year in which the initial 40-hour

28  educational requirement is met. All such The instruction and

29  education must be completed through a course or courses

30  approved or offered by the Statewide Public Guardianship

31  Office, for which a fee may be charged. The expenses incurred

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 1  to satisfy the educational requirements prescribed in this

 2  section may not be paid with the assets of any ward. This

 3  subsection does not apply to any attorney who is licensed to

 4  practice law in this state.

 5         (4)  The Statewide Public Guardianship Office must

 6  approve a course before it may be used to satisfy the

 7  educational requirements of this section. All amendments to

 8  approved courses must be submitted to the Statewide Public

 9  Guardianship Office for prior approval, and the office may

10  require a course provider to amend or update its course as a

11  condition of continued approval. Approval of a course may be

12  revoked if a provider fails to amend or update its course in a

13  timely manner upon the request of the Statewide Public

14  Guardianship Office. The office may charge a reasonable fee

15  for the review and approval of a course.

16         Section 3.  Section 744.3135, Florida Statutes, is

17  amended to read:

18         744.3135  Credit and criminal investigation.--The court

19  may require a nonprofessional guardian and shall require a

20  professional or public guardian, and all employees of a

21  professional guardian who have a fiduciary responsibility to a

22  ward, to submit, at their own expense, to an investigation of

23  the guardian's credit history and to undergo level 2

24  background screening as required under s. 435.04. The expense

25  of the investigation may not be paid from the assets of a

26  ward. The clerk of the court shall obtain fingerprint cards

27  from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and make them

28  available to guardians. Any guardian who is so required shall

29  have his or her fingerprints taken and forward the proper

30  fingerprint card along with the necessary fee to the Florida

31  Department of Law Enforcement for processing. The professional

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 1  guardian shall pay to the clerk of the court a fee of $5 for

 2  handling and processing professional guardian files. The

 3  results of the fingerprint checks shall be forwarded to the

 4  clerk of court who shall maintain the results in a guardian

 5  file and shall make the results available to the court and to

 6  the Statewide Public Guardianship Office. If credit or

 7  criminal investigations are required, the court must consider

 8  the results of the investigations in appointing a guardian.

 9  Guardians and all employees of a professional guardian who

10  have a fiduciary responsibility to a ward, so appointed, must

11  resubmit, at their own expense, to an investigation of credit

12  history, and undergo level 1 background screening as required

13  under s. 435.03, every 2 years after the date of their initial

14  registration with the Statewide Public Guardianship Office

15  appointment. A public guardian must resubmit to an

16  investigation of credit history, and undergo level 1

17  background screening as required under s. 435.03, every 2

18  years after the date of his or her appointment as public The

19  court must consider the results of these investigations in

20  reappointing a guardian. This section shall not apply to a

21  professional guardian, or to the employees of a professional

22  guardian, that is a trust company, a state banking corporation

23  or state savings association authorized and qualified to

24  exercise fiduciary powers in this state, or a national banking

25  association or federal savings and loan association authorized

26  and qualified to exercise fiduciary powers in this state.

27         Section 4.  Effective October 1, 2003, subsection (3)

28  of section 744.3145, Florida Statutes, is amended, and

29  subsection (7) is added to that section, to read:

30         744.3145  Guardian education requirements.--

31  

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 1         (3)  Each person appointed by the court to be a

 2  guardian on or after October 1, 2003, must complete the 8

 3  hours of instruction and education by 30 days within 1 year

 4  after his or her appointment as guardian.  The instruction and

 5  education must be completed through a course approved or

 6  offered by the Statewide Public Guardianship Office chief

 7  judge of the circuit court and taught by a court-approved

 8  organization. The Statewide Public Guardianship Office must

 9  approve a course before it may be used to satisfy the

10  educational requirements of this section. All amendments to

11  approved courses must be submitted to the Statewide Public

12  Guardianship Office for prior approval, and the office may

13  require a course provider to amend or update its course as a

14  condition of continued approval. Approval of a course may be

15  revoked if a provider fails to amend or update its course in a

16  timely manner upon the request of the Statewide Public

17  Guardianship Office. The office may charge a reasonable fee,

18  adopted by rule, for the review and approval of a course.

19  Court-approved organizations may include, but are not limited

20  to, community or junior colleges, guardianship organizations,

21  and the local bar association or The Florida Bar.

22         (7)  Each person appointed by the court to be a

23  guardian must register with the Statewide Public Guardianship

24  Office and must renew this registration every 2 years. The

25  Statewide Public Guardianship Office may contract with the

26  clerk of the court in each county to perform the

27  administrative functions associated with registering

28  guardians. Registration for all guardians, other than

29  professional guardians, shall be without charge or fee, and

30  each application for registration shall contain information

31  

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 1  comparable to that required for registration pursuant to s.

 2  744.1083.

 3         Section 5.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section

 4  744.534, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

 5         744.534  Disposition of unclaimed funds held by

 6  guardian.--

 7         (2)

 8         (c)  Within 5 years from the date of deposit with the

 9  State Treasurer, on written petition to the court that

10  directed the deposit of the funds and informal notice to the

11  Department of Legal Affairs, and after proof of his or her

12  right to them, any person entitled to the funds, before or

13  after payment to the State Treasurer and deposit as provided

14  for in paragraph (a), may obtain a court order directing the

15  payment of the funds to him or her. All funds deposited with

16  the State Treasurer and not claimed within 5 years from the

17  date of deposit, along with all interest and income

18  attributable thereto, shall escheat to the state to be

19  deposited in the Department of Elderly Affairs Administrative

20  Trust Fund to be used solely for the benefit of public

21  guardianship as determined by the Statewide Public

22  Guardianship Office established in part IX of this chapter.

23         Section 6.  Section 744.7021, Florida Statutes, is

24  amended to read:

25         744.7021  Statewide Public Guardianship Office.--There

26  is hereby created the Statewide Public Guardianship Office

27  within the Department of Elderly Affairs. The Department of

28  Elderly Affairs shall provide administrative support and

29  service to the office to the extent requested by the executive

30  director within the available resources of the department. The

31  Statewide Public Guardianship Office may request the

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 1  assistance of the Inspector General of the Department of

 2  Elderly Affairs in providing auditing services, and the Office

 3  of General Counsel of the department may provide assistance in

 4  rulemaking and other matters as needed to assist the Statewide

 5  Public Guardianship Office. The Statewide Public Guardianship

 6  Office shall not be subject to control, supervision, or

 7  direction by the Department of Elderly Affairs in the

 8  performance of its duties.

 9         (1)  The head of the Statewide Public Guardianship

10  Office is the executive director, who shall be appointed by

11  the Governor. The executive director must have administrative

12  experience and a demonstrated knowledge of public guardianship

13  services and be a licensed attorney with a background in

14  guardianship law and knowledge of social services available to

15  meet the needs of incapacitated persons. The executive

16  director, shall serve on a full-time basis, and shall

17  personally, or through representatives of the office, carry

18  out the purposes and functions of the Statewide Public

19  Guardianship Office in accordance with state and federal law.

20  The executive director shall serve at the pleasure of and

21  report to the Governor.

22         (2)  The Statewide Public Guardianship Office shall,

23  within available resources, be responsible for oversight and

24  supervision of have oversight responsibilities for all public

25  guardians and for administration of the registration and

26  educational requirements established under ss. 744.1083,

27  744.1085, and 744.3145.

28         (a)  The office shall review the current public

29  guardian programs in Florida and other states.

30  

31  

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 1         (b)  The office, in consultation with local public

 2  guardianship offices, shall develop statewide performance

 3  measures and standards.

 4         (c)  The office shall review the various methods of

 5  funding public guardianship programs, the kinds of services

 6  being provided by such programs, and the demographics of the

 7  wards. In addition, the office shall review and make

 8  recommendations regarding the feasibility of recovering a

 9  portion or all of the costs of providing public guardianship

10  services from the assets or income of the wards.

11         (d)  No later than October 1, 2000, the office shall

12  submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the

13  Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice

14  of the Supreme Court an interim report describing the progress

15  of the office in meeting the goals as described in this

16  section. No later than October 1 of each year, 2001, the

17  office shall submit to the Governor, the President of the

18  Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the

19  Chief Justice of the Supreme Court a proposed public

20  guardianship plan including alternatives for meeting the

21  state's guardianship needs. This plan may include

22  recommendations for less than the entire state, may include a

23  phase-in system, and shall include estimates of the cost of

24  each of the alternatives. Each year thereafter, the office

25  shall provide a status report and provide further

26  recommendations to address the need for public guardianship

27  services and related issues.

28         (e)  The office may provide assistance to local

29  governments or entities in pursuing grant opportunities. The

30  office shall review and make recommendations in the annual

31  report on the availability and efficacy of seeking Medicaid

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 1  matching funds. The office shall diligently seek ways to use

 2  existing programs and services to meet the needs of public

 3  wards.

 4         (f)  The office shall administer and develop rules

 5  governing the content of all a guardianship educational

 6  courses required under ss. 744.1085 and 744.3145, the review

 7  and approval of these educational courses, requirements for

 8  continued approval, and the revocation of course approval.

 9  training program. The training program may be offered to all

10  guardians whether public or private. The office shall

11  establish a curriculum committee to develop the training

12  program specified in this part. The curriculum committee shall

13  include, but not be limited to, probate judges. A fee may be

14  charged to private guardians in order to defray the cost of

15  providing the training. In addition, a fee may be charged to

16  any training provider for up to the actual cost of the review

17  and approval of their curriculum. Any fees collected pursuant

18  to this paragraph shall be deposited in the Department of

19  Elderly Affairs Administrative Trust Fund to be used for the

20  guardianship training program.

21         (g)  The office shall administer the registration of

22  guardians pursuant to ss. 744.1083 and 744.3145 and shall

23  develop rules governing the application and registration

24  process, the granting or refusal of registrations, the

25  reporting of continuing education courses, the renewal of

26  registrations, and the suspension and revocation of

27  registrations.

28         (h)  The office shall administer and develop rules for

29  the disciplining of guardians consistent with subsection (5).

30         (i)  In furtherance of its statutory purposes, the

31  office may conduct programs and activities; initiate

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 1  developmental projects; raise funds; make expenditures;

 2  request and receive grants, gifts, and bequests of moneys; and

 3  receive, hold, invest, administer, and dispose of, in its own

 4  name, securities, funds, objects of value, or other property,

 5  real or personal, including patents, copyrights, and

 6  trademarks and any related licenses and other rights or

 7  interests therein. Any gifts, grants, or contributions for

 8  such purposes shall be directed to the direct support

 9  organization created under s. 744.7082 to be used pursuant to

10  the terms of the organization's agreement with the Statewide

11  Public Guardianship Office.

12         (3)  The office may conduct or contract for

13  demonstration projects, within funds appropriated or through

14  gifts, grants, or contributions for such purposes, to

15  determine the feasibility or desirability of new concepts of

16  organization, administration, financing, or service delivery

17  designed to preserve the civil and constitutional rights of

18  persons of marginal or diminished capacity. Any gifts, grants,

19  or contributions for such purposes shall be directed to the

20  direct support organization created under s. 744.7082 to be

21  used pursuant to the terms of the organization's contract with

22  the Statewide Public Guardianship Office deposited in the

23  Department of Elderly Affairs Administrative Trust Fund.

24         (4)  The office has authority to adopt rules pursuant

25  to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to carry out the provisions of

26  this section.

27         (5)  All fees received by the Statewide Public

28  Guardianship Office pursuant to this chapter shall be

29  transferred to the Department of Elderly Affairs

30  Administrative Trust Fund to be used solely for the

31  

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 1  advancement of responsible public and private guardianship by

 2  the Statewide Public Guardianship Office.

 3         Section 7.  Subsections (2) and (5) of section 744.703,

 4  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

 5         744.703  Office of public guardian; appointment,

 6  notification.--

 7         (2)  The executive director shall appoint or contract

 8  with a public guardian from the list of candidates described

 9  in subsection (1). A public guardian must meet the

10  qualifications for a guardian as prescribed in s.

11  744.309(1)(a) and must satisfy the same educational

12  requirements as a professional guardian under s. 744.1085.

13  Upon appointment of the public guardian, the executive

14  director shall notify the chief judge of the judicial circuit

15  and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, in

16  writing, of the appointment.

17         (5)  The public guardian is to be appointed for a term

18  of 4 years, after which her or his appointment must be

19  reviewed by the executive director, and may be reappointed for

20  additional 4-year terms a term of up to 4 years. The executive

21  director may suspend a public guardian with or without the

22  request of the chief judge. If a public guardian is suspended,

23  the executive director shall appoint an acting public guardian

24  as soon as possible to serve until such time as a permanent

25  replacement is selected. A public guardian may be removed from

26  office during the term of office only by the executive

27  director who must consult with the chief judge prior to said

28  removal. A recommendation of removal made by the chief judge

29  must be considered by the executive director.

30         Section 8.  Section 744.706, Florida Statutes, is

31  amended to read:

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 1         744.706  Preparation of budget.--Each public guardian,

 2  whether funded in whole or in part by money raised through

 3  local efforts, grants, or any other source or whether funded

 4  in whole or in part by the state, shall prepare a budget for

 5  the operation of the office of public guardian to be submitted

 6  to the Statewide Public Guardianship Office.  As appropriate,

 7  the Statewide Public Guardianship Office will include such

 8  budgetary information in the Department of Elderly Affairs'

 9  legislative budget request.  The office of public guardian

10  shall be operated within the limitations of the General

11  Appropriations Act and any other funds appropriated by the

12  Legislature to that particular judicial circuit, subject to

13  the provisions of chapter 216.  The Department of Elderly

14  Affairs shall make a separate and distinct request for an

15  appropriation for the Statewide Public Guardianship Office.

16  However, this section shall not be construed to preclude the

17  financing of any operations of the office of the public

18  guardian by moneys raised through local effort or through the

19  efforts of the Statewide Public Guardianship Office or its

20  direct-support organization.

21         Section 9.  Subsection (1) of section 744.7082, Florida

22  Statutes, is amended to read:

23         744.7082  Direct-support organization.--

24         (1)  As used in this section, the term "direct-support

25  organization" means a not-for-profit corporation incorporated

26  under chapter 617 and organized and operated to conduct

27  programs and activities; initiate developmental projects;

28  raise funds; request and receive grants, gifts, and bequests

29  of moneys; acquire, receive, hold, invest, and administer, and

30  dispose of, in its own name, securities, funds, objects of

31  value, or other property, real or personal, including patents,

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 1  copyrights, and trademarks and any related licenses and other

 2  rights or interests therein; and make expenditures to or for

 3  the direct or indirect benefit of the Statewide Public

 4  Guardianship Office or individual offices of public guardians.

 5         Section 10.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 6  law.

 7  

 8            *****************************************

 9                          SENATE SUMMARY

10    Revises varied provisions relating to public
      guardianship. Revises powers and duties of the Statewide
11    Public Guardianship Office. Authorizes the imposition of
      fees for registration, for instructional courses, and for
12    the review and approval of courses. Requires persons
      appointed as public guardians to register and renew the
13    registration biennially. Authorizes the office to
      contract with court clerks for certain services. (See
14    bill for details.)

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.