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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio House Bill 491 Modifies Guardianship Laws and Probate Court Procedures
Last action · October 8, 2025: Referred to JudiciarySponsors: Sharon A. Ray and 9 others
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What This Bill Would Do
House Bill 491 amends multiple sections of the Revised Code relating to guardianship law, establishing new procedures for the appointment of guardians, emergency asset freezing, and medicaid application representatives. The bill adjusts age requirements for minors selecting guardians, modifies fiduciary residency qualifications, and updates probate court powers.
The measure alters legal processes for appointing guardians for adults and minors, changes financial thresholds for estate terminations and property settlements, and sets new statutory requirements for probate court oversight.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Wards and Minors
The bill alters the rules governing their guardianships, estate thresholds, and court protections.
Guardians and Fiduciaries
They are subject to new reporting timelines, restrictions on financial accounts for attorney-guardians, and updated appointment criteria.
Probate Courts
Courts must administer new emergency procedures, review biennial reports, and manage updated estate valuation limits.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes does HB 491 make regarding minors selecting a guardian?
How often must a guardian file a report for an incompetent adult under the bill?
Can an attorney who is appointed as a guardian be a cosignatory on guardianship bank accounts?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Oct 8, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Judiciary
- Oct 1, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Comprehensive Guardianship Modernization
The bill systematically updates dozens of sections in Chapter 2111 to refine emergency orders, reporting cycles, and estate monetary limits.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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