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| SPONSOR: | Lopez | DATE TYPED: | 02/08/99 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Guardianship & Conservatorship Services | SB | SJM25 | ||||
| ANALYST: | Gonzales | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY99 | FY2000 | FY99 | FY2000 | ||
| Minimal | |||||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)
State Agency on Aging
Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)
Human Services Department (HSD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Joint Memorial 25 requests the Office of the Attorney General to form a task force consisting of: family members of persons in need of guardianship or conservatorship services; community-based providers of developmental disability, mental health and aging services; the elder law section of the New Mexico bar association; advocacy organizations; the department of Health; the Human Services Department; the Children, Youth and Families Department the State Agency on Aging; the Administrative Office of the Courts; and providers of guardianship and conservatorship services to coordinate a study to review and recommend revisions to policies, procedures and rules pertaining to guardianship and conservatorship services. This memorial further directs the Office of the Attorney General to report its findings and recommendation, if any, to the appropriate legislative interim committee prior to the second session of the forty-fourth legislature.
Significant Issues
According to the State Agency on Aging, "agencies that provide these services frequently have waiting lists, so individuals are left [in an] untenable situation with no one legally able to assist them...this service is not adequately available, so some individuals are forced to have a conservator who may not need one." Conservatorships can also be very expensive.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
There is no appropriation provided in the bill.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
Minimal. Agencies represented on the task force will incur staff time and travel to participate.
JMG/gm