HB114ENROLLED Page 0 EQ1S9C-3 By Representatives Woods, Underwood, Rigsby, Lomax, Colvin, Hulsey RFD: County and Municipal Government First Read: 21-Mar-23 2023 Regular Session 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 HB114 EnrolledHB114 Enrolled Page 1 Enrolled, An Act, Relating to fiduciary funds in the hands of officials; to amend Section 19-3-87, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide for disposition of unclaimed funds held in a county treasury after being unclaimed for a certain number of years; and to amend Section 35-12-73, Code of Alabama 1975, to exempt unclaimed funds under Section 19-3-87, Code of Alabama 1975. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1. Sections 19-3-87 and 35-12-73, Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows: "§19-3-87 (a)(1) If at any time it should appearappears to the court, or beis made known to the court, that any balance has been in the hands of any officer for a period of five years and the same remains unclaimed, itthe court may make an order directing the same to be paid into the treasury of said county treasury, and a separate account shall be kept of all such the payments and so designated as to identify identifying each transaction. (b) Any person entitled to recover all or part of any unclaimed amount so paid into the county treasury or any part thereof may recover the amount, without interest, before the date that is within 10 years after such paymentthe payment was made into the treasury recover the amount to which he may be entitled, without interest, by obtaining an order from the court that had ordered the under whose order the same was 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 HB114 EnrolledHB114 Enrolled Page 2 paidpayment into the treasury. SuchThe order may be made by the court on summary motion against the probate judge of the county after five days' written notice unless the court for sufficient reasons continues the hearing to a further time for sufficient reasons . (c)(1) Subject to subdivision (2), with respect to any unclaimed amount currently held in the county treasury or paid into the county treasury on or following the effective date of this act, which remain in the county treasury on the date that is 10 years after the date it was paid into the county treasury, the following shall occur: a. Any person's right, title, or interest in or to all unclaimed funds shall be forfeited. b. All right, title, and interest in or to the unclaimed funds shall be vested in the county treasury to be set aside solely for the maintenance, repair, and construction of roads and bridges located within the county. (2) Before any unclaimed funds may be forfeited under subdivision (1), the county shall provide notice of the intended forfeiture, including, at a minimum, a description of the funds, the date the forfeiture is scheduled to occur, and a description of how a person entitled to recover all ofor part of the unclaimed funds may make a claim. Notice shall be published on the Alabama Press Association's website or other website used by the county for a minimum of 90 days before the date of forfeiture and in addition, in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, if one exists, at least once a week for four consecutive weeks before the date of forfeiture. 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 HB114 EnrolledHB114 Enrolled Page 3 (d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the following: (1)Unclaimed funds held by municipal courts. (2)Unclaimed restitution payments under Section 15-18-115. (3) Interest on unclaimed funds. " "§35-12-73 (a) The following entities are exempt from reporting property under this article: (1) Electric cooperatives organized under Chapters 6 and 7 of Title 37. (2) Incorporated municipalities and incorporated municipal boards and county and county boards of this state. (b) The following property is exempt from reporting under this article: (1) A gift certificate, gift card, or in-store merchandise credit issued or maintained by any person engaged primarily in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail. (2) Property held, due, and owing in a foreign country and arising out of a foreign transaction. (3) Unclaimed funds held pursuant to Section 19-3-87. " Section 2. This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law. 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 HB114 EnrolledHB114 Enrolled Page 4 ________________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives ________________________________________________ President and Presiding Officer of the Senate House of Representatives I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and was passed by the House 11-Apr-23 as amended. John Treadwell Clerk Senate 25-Apr-23 Passed 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107