Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB660 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0660
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 660
8	8	N2 5lr1737
9	9	HB 485/16 – HGO
10	10	By: Delegates Terrasa, Guyton, Kaufman, Lehman, J. Long, Ruth, and Schindler
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Estates and Trusts – Register of Wills – Admission of Copy of Executed Will 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of authorizing an interested person to file with the register of wills in a 3
21	21	county, rather than the orphans’ court, a petition for admission of a copy of an 4
22	22	executed will in a probate proceeding; authorizing a register to accept a copy of an 5
23	23	executed will for administrative probate without an order from the orphans’ court; 6
24	24	authorizing a register to require the filing of judicial probate; and generally relating 7
25	25	to the admission of a copy of an executed will in a probate proceeding. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Estates and Trusts 10
29	29	Section 5–802 and 5–804 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Estates and Trusts 16
37	37
38	38	5–802. 17
39	39
40	40	A petition for admission of a copy of a will may be filed with the [court] REGISTER 18
41	41	at any time before administrative or judicial probate if: 19
42	42
43	43	(1) The original executed will is alleged to be lost or destroyed; 20
44	44
45	45	(2) A duplicate reproduction of the original executed will, evidencing a copy 21
46	46	of the original signatures of the decedent and the witnesses, is offered for admission; and 22
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 660
48	48
49	49
50	50	(3) All the heirs at law and legatees named in the offered will execute a 1
51	51	consent in the manner set forth in § 5–803 of this subtitle. 2
52	52
53	53	5–804. 3
54	54
55	55	The [court] REGISTER may: 4
56	56
57	57	(1) [Without a hearing, issue an order authorizing: 5
58	58
59	59	(i) The petitioner to proceed with administrative probate in 6
60	60	accordance with Subtitle 3 of this title; and 7
61	61
62	62	(ii) The register to accept the] ADMIT A copy of [the] A will for 8
63	63	administrative probate; or 9
64	64
65	65	(2) Require the filing of judicial probate in accordance with Subtitle 4 of 10
66	66	this title. 11
67	67
68	68	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be construed to 12
69	69	apply only prospectively and may not be applied or interpreted to have any effect on or 13
70	70	application to the estate of any decedent who died before the effective date of this Act. 14
71	71
72	72	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
73	73	October 1, 2025. 16
74	74