One state House lawmaker has proposed new court rules to address what's been dubbed "granny-snatching."
Stories of elderly parents being fought over by their kids or relatives who want to be the sole guardians are familiar to Representative Tim Hennessey, a Republican of Chester County.
"Somebody dies, and then someone else comes in and tries to assume control, and the other siblings don't like it, and it could be county to county, or it could be state to state. You know enough of these stories circulate that you think, 'Oh, geez, somebody, here's a problem, we have to solve it,'" said Hennessey.
So when a group called the Uniform Law Commission approached him with legislation to clear up the murky legal issue, Hennessey agreed to sponsor it.
His proposal sets up rules to follow when multiple courts are involved in a dispute over who's responsible for an incapacitated adult.
The measure has bipartisan support in the House and awaits a committee vote.