CRIME, POLICE + COURTS

Utah Rep. Owens wants to #FREEBRITNEY

Jul 2, 2021, 4:28 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2022, 11:21 am

Congress support for Pell Grants. Burgess owens is pictured speaking...

FILE -- Republican congressman Burgess Owens is pictured. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)

(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Fourth District Representative Burgess Owens (R) joins a growing list of Republican lawmakers calling on the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on conservatorships, guardianships, and abuse. The Deseret News reports Owens signed a letter inviting Britney Spears to testify before Congress, along with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R).

Britney Spears asked a Los Angeles County judge to end her conservatorship last week but was denied. That has not stopped the calls to #FREEBRITNEY 

“I do believe the nation was quite taken with the control that the guardianship and conservatorship process has on far too many Americans,” said Rep. Gaetz during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 23, 2021. “I am glad Britney Spears got to speak out on this issue finally yesterday.” 

Rep. Owens recounts how his aunt was victimized by an abusive guardianship in his statement to the Deseret News. 

“I saw firsthand how legal mechanisms like this, when abused, can leave vulnerable people feeling voiceless and violated by the system designed to protect them,” said Owens. “If there are any steps that Congress can take, we want to try, even if that is listening and using our voices to advocate for those potentially mistreated by our country’s legal system.”

KSL Newsradio reached out to Owens’ office for comment but was told he’s recovering from a minor surgery and directed us to the statement issued to our colleagues at the Deseret News. 

 

Other Reading:

Rep. Owens: Comparing Georgia voting laws to Jim Crow is ‘outrageous’

‘It’s chaos down here’: Rep. Owens shares experiences at border

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Utah Rep. Owens wants to #FREEBRITNEY