Bill Amendment: FL S1554 | 2017 | Regular Session
NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List
Bill Title: Trusts
Status: 2017-05-05 - Died in Rules, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1379 (Ch. 2017-155) [S1554 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S1554-Senate_Committee_Amendment_508936.html
Bill Title: Trusts
Status: 2017-05-05 - Died in Rules, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1379 (Ch. 2017-155) [S1554 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S1554-Senate_Committee_Amendment_508936.html
Florida Senate - 2017 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1554 Ì508936IÎ508936 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House . . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Committee on Judiciary (Young) recommended the following: 1 Senate Amendment 2 3 Delete lines 216 - 395 4 and insert: 5 website is terminated by the sender before the time period set 6 forth in sub-subparagraph 1.b., any applicable limitations 7 period set forth in s. 736.1008(1) or (2) which is still open is 8 tolled for any information adequately disclosed in such document 9 as follows: 10 a. From the date on which the recipient’s access to the 11 electronic account or website is terminated by the sender until 12 45 days after the date on which the sender provides notification 13 of such termination to the recipient by means other than 14 electronic posting, and: 15 (I) The recipient may request that any documents sent 16 during the prior 4 years solely through electronic posting be 17 provided to him or her by other means at no cost; or 18 (II) The recipient’s access to the electronic account or 19 website is restored; and 20 b. From the date on which any request is made pursuant to 21 sub-sub-subparagraph 3.a.(I) until 20 days after the date on 22 which the requested documents are provided to the recipient by 23 means other than electronic posting. 24 (h) For purposes of this subsection, access to an 25 electronic account or website is terminated by the sender when 26 the sender unilaterally terminates the recipient’s ability to 27 access the electronic website or account or download or print 28 any document posted on such website or account. Access is not 29 terminated by the sender when access is terminated by an action 30 of the recipient or by an action of the sender in response to 31 the recipient’s request to terminate access. The recipient’s 32 revocation of authorization pursuant to paragraph (f) is not 33 considered a request to terminate accessTo be effective, the34posting of a document to an electronic account or website must35be done in accordance with this subsection. The sender has the36burden of establishing compliance with this subsection. 37 (i) This subsection does not affect or alter the duties of 38 a trustee to keep clear, distinct, and accurate records pursuant 39 to s. 736.0810 or affect or alter the time periods for which the 40 trustee must maintain such recordspreclude the sending of a41document by other means. 42 (j) This subsection governs the posting of a document 43 solely for the purpose of giving notice under this code or the 44 sending of a document to a person under this code and does not 45 prohibit or otherwise apply to the posting of a document to an 46 electronic account or website for any other purpose or preclude 47 the sending of a document by any other means. 48 Section 4. Subsection (3) of section 736.0110, Florida 49 Statutes, is amended to read: 50 736.0110 Others treated as qualified beneficiaries.— 51 (3) The Attorney General may assert the rights of a 52 qualified beneficiary with respect to a charitable trust having 53 its principal place of administration in this state. The 54 Attorney General has standing to assert such rights in any 55 judicial proceedings. 56 Section 5. Section 736.0404, Florida Statutes, is amended 57 to read: 58 736.0404 Trust purposes.—A trust may be created only to the 59 extent the purposes of the trust are lawful, not contrary to 60 public policy, and possible to achieve.A trust and its terms61must be for the benefit of its beneficiaries.62 Section 6. Effective upon becoming a law, section 63 736.04117, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 64 736.04117 Trustee’s power to invade principal in trust.— 65 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 66 (a) “Absolute power” meansUnless the trust instrument67expressly provides otherwise, a trustee who has absolute power68under the terms of a trust to invade the principal of the trust,69referred to in this section as the “first trust,” to make70distributions to or for the benefit of one or more persons may71instead exercise the power by appointing all or part of the72principal of the trust subject to the power in favor of a73trustee of another trust, referred to in this section as the74“second trust,” for the current benefit of one or more of such75persons under the same trust instrument or under a different76trust instrument; provided:771. The beneficiaries of the second trust may include only78beneficiaries of the first trust;792. The second trust may not reduce any fixed income,80annuity, or unitrust interest in the assets of the first trust;81and823. If any contribution to the first trust qualified for a83marital or charitable deduction for federal income, gift, or84estate tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as85amended, the second trust shall not contain any provision which,86if included in the first trust, would have prevented the first87trust from qualifying for such a deduction or would have reduced88the amount of such deduction.89(b) For purposes of this subsection, an absolute power to90invade principal shall includea power to invade principal that 91 is not limited to specific or ascertainable purposes, such as 92 health, education, maintenance, and support, regardless of 93 whetheror notthe term “absolute” is used. A power to invade 94 principal for purposes such as best interests, welfare, comfort, 95 or happiness constitutesshall constitutean absolute power not 96 limited to specific or ascertainable purposes. 97 (b) “Authorized trustee” means a trustee, other than the 98 settlor or a beneficiary, who has the power to invade the 99 principal of a trust. 100 (c) “Beneficiary with a disability” means a beneficiary of 101 the first trust who the authorized trustee believes may qualify 102 for governmental benefits based on disability, regardless of 103 whether the beneficiary currently receives those benefits or has 104 been adjudicated incapacitated. 105 (d) “Current beneficiary” means a beneficiary who, on the 106 date his or her qualification is determined, is a distributee or 107 permissible distributee of trust income or principal. The term 108 includes the holder of a presently exercisable general power of 109 appointment but does not include a person who is a beneficiary 110 only because he or she holds another power of appointment. 111 (e) “Governmental benefits” means financial aid or services 112 from any state, federal, or other public agency. 113 (f) “Internal Revenue Code” means the Internal Revenue Code 114 of 1986, as amended. 115 (g) “Power of appointment” has the same meaning as provided 116 in s. 731.201(30). 117 (h) “Presently exercisable general power of appointment” 118 means a power of appointment exercisable by the powerholder at 119 the relevant time. The term: 120 1. Includes a power of appointment that is exercisable only 121 after the occurrence of a specified event or that is subject to 122 a specified restriction, but only after the event has occurred 123 or the restriction has been satisfied. 124 2. Does not include a power exercisable only upon the 125 powerholder’s death. 126 (i) “Substantially similar” means that there is no material 127 change in a beneficiary’s beneficial interests or in the power 128 to make distributions and that the power to make a distribution 129 under a second trust for the benefit of a beneficiary who is an 130 individual is substantially similar to the power under the first 131 trust to make a distribution directly to the beneficiary. A 132 distribution is deemed to be for the benefit of a beneficiary 133 if: 134 1. The distribution is applied for the benefit of a 135 beneficiary; 136 2. The beneficiary is under a legal disability or the 137 trustee reasonably believes the beneficiary is incapacitated, 138 and the distribution is made as permitted under this code; or 139 3. The distribution is made as permitted under the terms of 140 the first trust instrument and the second trust instrument for 141 the benefit of the beneficiary. 142 (j) “Supplemental needs trust” means a trust that the 143 authorized trustee believes would not be considered a resource 144 for purposes of determining whether the beneficiary who has a 145 disability is eligible for governmental benefits. 146 (k) “Vested interest” means a current unconditional right 147 to receive a mandatory distribution of income, a specified 148 dollar amount, or a percentage of value of a trust, or a current 149 unconditional right to withdraw income, a specified dollar 150 amount, or a percentage of value of a trust, which right is not 151 subject to the occurrence of a specified event, the passage of a 152 specified time, or the exercise of discretion. 153 1. The term includes a presently exercisable general power 154 of appointment. 155 2. The term does not include a beneficiary’s interest in a 156 trust if the trustee has discretion to make a distribution of 157 trust property to a person other than such beneficiary. 158 (2) DISTRIBUTION FROM FIRST TRUST TO SECOND TRUST WHEN 159 AUTHORIZED TRUSTEE HAS ABSOLUTE POWER TO INVADE.— 160 (a) Unless a trust instrument expressly provides otherwise, 161 an authorized trustee who has absolute power under the terms of 162 the trust to invade its principal, referred to in this section 163 as the “first trust,” to make current distributions to or for 164 the benefit of one or more beneficiaries may instead exercise 165 such power by appointing all or part of the principal of the 166 trust subject to such power in favor of a trustee of one or more 167 other trusts, whether created under the same trust instrument as 168 the first trust or a different trust instrument, including a 169 trust instrument created for the purposes of exercising the 170 power granted by this section, each referred to in this section 171 as the “second trust,” for the current benefit of one or more of 172 such beneficiaries only if: 173 1. The beneficiaries of the second trust include only 174 beneficiaries of the first trust; and 175 2. The second trust does not reduce any vested interest. 176 (b) In an exercise of absolute power, the second trust may: 177 1. Retain a power of appointment granted in the first 178 trust; 179 2. Omit a power of appointment granted in the first trust, 180 other than a presently exercisable general power of appointment; 181 3. Create or modify a power of appointment if the 182 powerholder is a current beneficiary of the first trust; 183 4. Create or modify a power of appointment if the 184 powerholder is a beneficiary of the first trust who is not a