Two House lawmakers are proposing bipartisan legislation they hope will protect those under legal guardianships and conservatorships from abuse and exploitation amid pop star Britney Spears’ fight to end her years-long court-ordered conservatorship.
Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida and Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Tuesday unveiled their Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation Act, the FREE Act, during a virtual news conference. Conservatorships are legal arrangements that give a court-appointed individual, known as the conservator, the power to handle the financial and/or personal affairs of another adult who has been deemed incapacitated. The FREE Act would allow a person under a legal guardianship or conservatorship the right to petition the court to have their court-appointed guardian replaced with a public guardian. The bill would also guarantee that individuals under guardianships are assigned an independent case worker, and require case workers and public guardians disclose their finances to ensure there’s no conflict of interest.
