relative to public guardianship and the office of the public guardian and making appropriations to the department of health and human services.

SB 127 creates a new program to provide publicly funded guardianship services for older adults and adults with disabilities who need assistance with hospital discharge but cannot secure guardianship through other means. It requires hospitals to seek court-appointed guardianship (via probate court) when all other resources are exhausted, and mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with the Office of the Public Guardian to provide 50 funded guardianship slots using $550,000 in appropriations. The bill also allocates an additional $3.884 million to adjust rates for existing guardian services under related statutes. These provisions directly affect hospitals, vulnerable adults needing discharge planning, and the Office of the Public Guardian, effective September 30, 2025.