# Georgia SB 98: Guardian and Ward; county conservators; provide

Georgia SB 98, Guardian and Ward; county conservators; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Bill Cowsert (Republican), Frank Ginn (Republican), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican) and 2 others; status signed, last action 2025-07-01 (Effective Date) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB98-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia SB 98
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Guardian and Ward; county conservators; provide
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-05
- Last action: 2025-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Frank Ginn (Republican), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Brian Strickland (Republican), Ben Watson (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Judiciary Juvenile, Children and Families, General Bill
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (212 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Clearer roles for county ward representatives: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, county administrators hold county guardian and conservator roles and serve individual cases through court appointments. Probate courts can appoint additional county administrators with the same powers and duties. Courts issue separate guardian and conservator appointment pap…
- County conservators handle estates without wills: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, this rule covers minors and adults under conservatorship who die without a will. It applies when a county administrator, county guardian, or county conservator was appointed as their conservator. The conservator must distribute the estate as an estate administrator does. The…
- County conservators face new bond rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, county conservators must provide an extra $5,000 bond, payable to the court, beyond other required bonds. Courts must find the security sufficient; they can demand more security and remove conservators who fail to provide it. People harmed by misconduct can bring a claim aga…
- Annual fees allowed for county representatives: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, county administrators and county guardians or conservators serving through that office can receive annual service fees. The county governing authority must consent. The county, probate court, and official must agree on the amount. These fees add compensation costs beyond com…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Frank Ginn (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Brian Strickland (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Ben Watson (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mitchell Scoggins (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-03-21 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 162 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025-02-20 | Senate | PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE | pass | 50 | 0 | 3 |

## Actions (15)

- 2025-07-01: Effective Date
- 2025-05-14: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- 2025-05-14: Act 283
- 2025-04-07: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-03-21: House Passed/Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-13: House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- 2025-02-24: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-02-21: House First Readers (House)
- 2025-02-20: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2025-02-20: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- 2025-02-19: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2025-02-18: Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- 2025-02-06: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-02-05: Senate Hopper (Senate)

## Bill text

- SB 98/AP* (v7): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/237028)

## Related bills

- SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed)
- SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed)
- SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed)
- SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed)
- HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed)
- HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed)

## Sources
- [SB 98/AP* (v7) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/237028)

## Related
- [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026)
- [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026)
- [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026)
- [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026)
- [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026)
- [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB98-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).