Wisconsin Guardianship Reform Bill

In the August, 2006 edition of Bifocal (Vol. 27, No. 6), Betsy Abramson has published her article Wisconsin Legislature Passes Major Guardianship Reform Bill.
   

Here is an excerpt:
   

Wisconsin’s new guardianship law, enacted in May 2006 and effective December 2006, is the work of a great number of dedicated members of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Elder Law Section and other advocates for nearly a dozen years. These practitioners corrected many problems with Wisconsin’s current law. The statute is now reorganized, removes antiquated terms (e.g., “infirmities of aging”), and creates separate, specific criteria and standards for guardianships of persons and guardianships of estates. It also greatly improves due process; for example, the new provisions reverse the current presumption that all rights are removed unless a court specifically retains certain rights and more deference is given to previously-executed powers of attorney. The reforms specify in great and separate detail the duties and responsibilities of guardians of the person and estate and create a procedure for removal of a guardian, reinstatement of rights, and other post-appointment matters.
   

The original Senate bill may be found here.