Britney Spears is on everyone’s mind lately, not just celebrities and longtime friends. A new bipartisan bill has been introduced to the US House of Representatives that’s directly influenced by Spears’ ongoing conservatorship battle. If passed, the bill would make it easier for people under conservatorships to seek a different guardian other than the one appointed to them by the court if they’re experiencing abuse or fraud, reports The New York Times.
Introduced by Representatives Charlie Crist (D-Florida) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), the bill is called the Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation Act, or the FREE Act — a clever nod to the #FreeBritney movement that the pop star herself has embraced. It was introduced by the sponsors Representatives Charlie Crist (D-Florida) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina). While it does not making dissolving a conservatorship any easier, it does provide an alternate route for conservatees to choose a different guardian.
“We want to make sure that we bring transparency and accountability to the conservatorship process,” said Mace in a statement to The New York Times. “If this can happen to [Britney Spears], it can happen to anybody.”
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Last week, a judge approved Britney Spears’ request to hire her own private counsel to represent her in her ongoing conservatorship case. Her court appointed attorney, Sam Ingham, tendered his resignation in the wake of her viral and damning public testimony the month prior. Britney has chosen A-list attorney Matthew Rosengart to replace Ingham.
Britney has repeatedly spoken out against the conservatorship over the years, going so far as to recently call 911 begging for help, but only recently went public with her feelings. She told Judge Penny that she was “extremely scared” of her father Jamie Spears, who remains the sole overseer of the conservatorship. “This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life,” she said through tears. “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse.”
This past Friday night, Britney shared a pair of Instagram posts that railed against her family. “Never forget who ignored you when you needed them and who helped you before you even had to ask,” she wrote.
