The Senate agreed to the title of the bill.
Senators Johnson and Irwin asked and were granted unanimous consent to make statements and moved that the statements be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Johnson’s statement is as follows:
I rise in support of Senate Bill Nos. 585 and 586. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important bipartisan legislation. These bills simply say if a guardian is going to move an individual out of their home and into a facility, the court must find that this is in the best interest of that individual; and when selling a ward’s home, the guardian must get an appraisal of the home’s value for the court to consider before approving a sale, to ensure that fair value is received. I appreciate my colleague from the 15th District for working with me on this legislation. We’ll continue to fight for meaningful reform and feel this is a great first step that’s achievable to help protect some of Michigan’s most vulnerable residents.
Senator Irwin’s statement is as follows:
I rise to ask my colleagues to please support these two pieces of legislation, and I want to also thank my colleague, the Senator from the 24th District, for being willing to work with me on these reforms which provide additional protections for our residents who are placed under guardianship. For those of you who know about guardianship and the sweeping powers it provides for situations where our residents are unable to make decisions for themselves, it’s a very delicate moment. It’s important that this Legislature continues to try to improve these laws so these difficult, delicate decisions are made in the best interests of the residents who are put under guardianship. Thank you for your support, and I want to thank my colleagues for even getting this on the agenda. I also want to thank, again, the Senator from the 24th District for continuing to work with me on bipartisan action to try to bring forward some of the important elements that we can do to prevent elder abuse here in Michigan.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 586, entitled
A bill to amend 1998 PA 386, entitled “Estates and protected individuals code,” by amending sections 5306 and 5314 (MCL 700.5306 and 700.5314), section 5306 as amended by 2019 PA 170 and section 5314 as amended by 2024 PA 1, and by adding section 5306b.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: