2020 -- H 7504 | |
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LC004354 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO PROBATE PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE -- SMALL ESTATES | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Craven, McEntee, and McKiernan | |
Date Introduced: February 07, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 33-24-1 and 33-24-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 33-24 |
2 | entitled "Small Estates" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 33-24-1. Voluntary informal administration of small estates. |
4 | (a) If a resident of Rhode Island dies leaving an estate consisting entirely of personal |
5 | property the total value of which otherwise subject to being listed on a probate inventory pursuant |
6 | to § 33-9-1, exclusive of tangible personal property of which the decedent was owner, does not |
7 | exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in value, his or |
8 | her surviving spouse, child, grandchild, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle, or |
9 | any interested party, if of full age and legal capacity and a resident of this state, may, after the |
10 | expiration of thirty (30) days from the death of the decedent, provided no petition for letters |
11 | testamentary or letters of administration has been filed with the probate court of the city or town |
12 | in which the decedent resided, file with said probate court upon a form prescribed by the court a |
13 | statement, verified by oath or affirmation containing: |
14 | (1) The name and residential address of the affiant, |
15 | (2) The name, residence and date of death of the deceased, |
16 | (3) The relationship of the affiant to the deceased, |
17 | (4) A schedule showing every asset known to the affiant titled solely in the decedent's |
18 | name and all assets known or believed to be titled in the decedent's name as of the decedent's date |
19 | of death, and the estimated value of each such asset, |
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1 | (5) A statement that the affiant has undertaken to act as voluntary administrator of the |
2 | estate of the deceased and will administer the same according to law, and apply the proceeds |
3 | thereof in conformity with this section, |
4 | (6) The names and addresses known to the affiant of the persons who would take under |
5 | the provisions of Rhode Island general laws § 33-1-10 in the case of intestacy. |
6 | (b) Upon presentation of such statement, accompanied by a certificate of the death of the |
7 | deceased and payment of a fee of thirty dollars ($30.00), the clerk of the probate court shall file |
8 | these documents as a part of the permanent record of the court. Upon the payment of five dollars |
9 | ($5.00), the clerk of the probate court shall, if no other probate proceeding for administration of |
10 | such estate is pending in said court, issue a certification of appointment of voluntary |
11 | administrator, but only after such certification has been reviewed by the judge of the probate |
12 | court. No hearing in the probate court shall be required as a condition for the issuance of the |
13 | certification by the clerk of the probate court; provided, however, that the probate judge may |
14 | require a hearing to take place in order to determine whether such certification should issue. |
15 | (c) Upon the presentation of a copy of such a certification of appointment by the clerk of |
16 | the probate court, the tender of a proper receipt in writing and the surrender of any policy, |
17 | passbook, note, certificate or other evidentiary instrument, a voluntary administrator may, as the |
18 | legal representative of the deceased and his or her estate, receive payment of any debt or |
19 | obligation in the nature of a debt, or delivery of any chattel or asset, scheduled in such statement. |
20 | Payments and deliveries made under this section shall discharge the liability of the debtor, obligor |
21 | or deliverer to all persons with respect to such debt, chattel, obligation or other asset unless, at the |
22 | time of such payment or delivery, a written demand has been made upon such debtor, obligor or |
23 | deliverer by a duly appointed executor or administrator. |
24 | (d) A voluntary administrator may sell any chattel so received and negotiate or assign any |
25 | choice in action to convert the same to cash in a reasonable amount. |
26 | (e) A voluntary administrator shall, as far as possible out of the assets which come into |
27 | his or her hands, first discharge the necessary expenses of the funeral and last sickness of the |
28 | deceased and the necessary expenses of administration without fee for his or her services, and |
29 | then pay the debts of the deceased in the order specified in Rhode Island general laws § 33-12-11 |
30 | and any other debts of the estate, and then distribute the balance, if any, to the surviving spouse, |
31 | or, if there is no surviving spouse, to the persons and in the proportions prescribed by § 33-1-10. |
32 | (f) A voluntary administrator shall be liable as an executor in his or her own wrong to all |
33 | persons aggrieved by his or her administration of the estate, and, if letters testamentary or letters |
34 | of administration are at any time granted, shall be liable as such an executor to the rightful |
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1 | executor or administrator. |
2 | 33-24-2. Administration of small estates where executor named in will -- Voluntary |
3 | executors. |
4 | (a) If a resident of Rhode Island dies leaving an estate that would otherwise be subject to |
5 | being listed on a probate inventory pursuant to § 33-9-1, consisting entirely of personal property, |
6 | the total value, exclusive of tangible personal property of which the decedent was owner, does not |
7 | exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in value, and he |
8 | or she leaves a will naming a person as executor, the named person, if of full age and legal |
9 | capacity, may, (or, if the named person declines or is unable to serve, then any person named as |
10 | alternate, or, if such alternate declines or is unable to serve, then the surviving spouse, child, |
11 | grandchild, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle, or any interested party, if of full |
12 | age and legal capacity and a resident of this state), after the expiration of thirty (30) days from the |
13 | death of the decedent, provided no petition for letters testamentary or letters of administration has |
14 | been filed with the probate court of the city or town in which the decedent resided, file with said |
15 | probate court upon a form prescribed by the court a statement, verified by oath or affirmation |
16 | containing: |
17 | (1) The name and residential address of the affiant, |
18 | (2) The name, residence and date of death of the deceased, |
19 | (3) The relationship of the affiant to the deceased, |
20 | (4) A schedule showing every asset known to the affiant titled solely in the decedent's |
21 | name and all assets known or believed to be titled in the decedent's name as of the decedent's date |
22 | of death and the estimated value of each such asset, |
23 | (5) A statement that the affiant has undertaken to act as voluntary administrator of the |
24 | estate of the deceased and will administer the same according to law, and apply the proceeds |
25 | thereof in conformity with this section, |
26 | (6) The names and addresses known to the affiant of the persons who would take under |
27 | the provisions of Rhode Island general laws § 33-1-10 in the case of intestacy, and |
28 | (7) The names and addresses known to the affiant of the persons who would take under |
29 | the provisions of the will. |
30 | (b) The original of the will shall be filed with the above statement and if the executor |
31 | resides outside the state he or she shall appoint a resident agent to represent him or her in the |
32 | state. |
33 | (c) Upon presentation of such statement, accompanied by a certificate of the death of the |
34 | deceased and payment of a fee of thirty dollars ($30.00), the clerk of the probate court shall file |
| LC004354 - Page 3 of 5 |
1 | these documents as a part of the permanent record of the court. Upon the payment of five dollars |
2 | ($5.00), the clerk of the probate court shall, if no other probate proceeding for administration of |
3 | such estate is pending in said court, issue a certification of appointment of executor, but only after |
4 | such certification has been reviewed by the judge of the probate court. No hearing in the probate |
5 | court shall be required as a condition for the issuance of the certification by the clerk of the |
6 | probate court; provided, however, that the probate judge may require a hearing to take place in |
7 | order to determine whether such certification should issue. |
8 | (d) Upon the presentation of a copy of such a certification of appointment by the clerk of |
9 | the probate court, the tender of a proper receipt in writing and the surrender of any policy, |
10 | passbook, note, certificate or other evidentiary instrument, a voluntary executor may, as the legal |
11 | representative of the deceased and his or her estate, receive payment of any debt or obligation in |
12 | the nature of a debt, or delivery of any chattel or asset, scheduled in such statement. Payments |
13 | and deliveries made under this section shall discharge the liability of the debtor, obligor or |
14 | deliverer to all persons with respect to such debt, chattel, obligation or other asset unless, at the |
15 | time of such payment or delivery, a written demand has been made upon such debtor, obligor or |
16 | deliverer by a duly appointed executor or administrator. |
17 | (e) A voluntary executor may sell any chattel so received and negotiate or assign any |
18 | choice in action to convert the same to cash in a reasonable amount. |
19 | (f) A voluntary executor shall, as far as possible out of the assets which come into his or |
20 | her hands, first discharge the necessary expenses of the funeral and last sickness of the deceased |
21 | and the necessary expenses of administration without fee for his or her services, and then pay the |
22 | debts of the deceased in the order specified in Rhode Island general laws § 33-12-11 and any |
23 | other debts of the estate, and then distribute the balance, if any, according to the terms of the will, |
24 | and should that prove impossible, the balance to the surviving spouse, or, if there is no surviving |
25 | spouse, to the persons and in the proportions prescribed by § 33-1-10. |
26 | (g) A voluntary executor shall be liable as an executor in his or her own wrong to all |
27 | persons aggrieved by his or her administration of the estate, and, if letters testamentary or letters |
28 | of administration are at any time granted, shall be liable as such an executor to the rightful |
29 | executor or administrator. |
30 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO PROBATE PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE -- SMALL ESTATES | |
*** | |
1 | This act would increase the value of a small estate from fifteen thousand dollars |
2 | ($15,000) to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC004354 | |
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