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Guardianship is a legal arrangement that gives a court-appointed person, known as a guardian, the power to manage the financial and / or personal affairs of another adult who has been found incapable.
The FREE law would allow a person under legal guardianship or guardianship the right to ask the court to have their appointed guardian replaced by a public guardian.
The bill would also ensure that those under guardianship are assigned an independent social worker and require social workers and public guardians to disclose their finances to ensure there is no conflict of interest.
The legislation would also require states to provide an “up-to-date” database on the number of people under guardianship or guardianship.
“Under the FREE Act we would release Britney and the untold numbers of elderly and disabled people who have been abused and exploited by the failing system,” Crist said in a statement.
Announcing their bill on Tuesday, the two lawmakers said the legislation is narrowly crafted to attract more bipartisan support and “has the greatest chance of success.”
An estimated 1.3 million adults in the United States are subject to equally restrictive provisions, according to the Department of Justice.
On Tuesday, Mace thanked Spears for “his courage” in speaking out about his guardianship experience and drawing attention to the abuses other Americans may face under such legal arrangements.
“Her situation is a nightmare. If it can happen to Britney Spears, it can happen to anyone in this country,” Mace said, standing in front of a “Free Britney” poster.
Appearing with lawmakers on Tuesday, Cassandra Dumas, co-founder and spokesperson for Free Britney America, said her team hoped the bill would give the Tories a voice, while ensuring accountability and protection against abuse in the system.
CNN’s Harmeet Kaur and Ariella Phillips contributed to this report.
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