One bill, which would make it easier for guardians to sell their trustees' property, passed its final reading Tuesday in the N.C. Senate and now awaits Gov. Mike Easley's signature to become law.
A study commission looked last year at North Carolina's laws on guardianship, which are affecting an increasing number of the state's aging population. Farmer-Butterfield, chair of the House's aging committee, agreed to sponsor bills to make the commission's recommended changes.
The bill that passed the Senate Tuesday will allow the guardian of someone who has been declared incompetent to sell up to $5,000 worth of the trustee's personal property without a court order. The current limit has been $1,500.
The amount needs to be increased to allow the guardians more flexibility to act without having to go to court each time, the Wilson Democrat said recently.
Another bill would make it more possible for someone who has been ruled incompetent to retain his or her driver's license.
Currently, people typically lose their license in that circumstance, but House Bill 2391 would give the state's clerks of Superior Court a chance to review each individual's circumstances and make recommendations, she said.
As an example, Farmer-Butterfield offered a 35-year-old person with mild mental disabilities, who has held a job and driver's license for several years but who has now been appointed a guardian to help manage money. That person should not necessarily lose the ability to drive, she said.
Or a senior citizen might have a stroke that affects her math skills but doesn't impair her ability to drive, Farmer-Butterfield said.
HB 2391 would allow more discretion. It has passed the N.C. House and was discussed in a Senate committee Tuesday but a floor debate has not yet been scheduled.
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