AB 2616 Summary

• Courts must perform required duties in conservatorship and guardianship proceedings regardless of whether the Legislature has appropriated funds for those duties.

• Guardians and conservators must avoid all conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest, and cannot engage with entities that benefit them unless directly in the ward's or conservatee's best interest.

• Court investigators must conduct comprehensive investigations and interviews before conservatorship hearings, including of the proposed conservatee, petitioners, family members, and relevant medical providers.

• Courts must review conservatorships at six months after appointment and annually thereafter, with investigators reporting on the conservator's performance and whether the conservatorship remains the least restrictive alternative.

• Professional fiduciaries who abuse conservatees are subject to civil penalties of up to $10,000 per act, with findings reported to the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau.