| 1 | 1 | | <STYLE><!--U {color: Green}S {color: RED} I {color: DARKBLUE; background-color:yellow} P.brk {page-break-before:always}--></STYLE> <BASEFONT SIZE=3> <PRE WIDTH="122"> <FONT SIZE=5><B> STATE OF NEW YORK</B></FONT> ________________________________________________________________________ 7416 2025-2026 Regular Sessions <FONT SIZE=5><B> IN SENATE</B></FONT> April 15, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. HOYLMAN-SIGAL, SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judici- ary AN ACT to amend the estates, powers and trusts law and the state tech- nology law, in relation to electronic wills <B><U>The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-</U></B> <B><U>bly, do enact as follows:</U></B> 1 Section 1. Article 3 of the estates, powers and trusts law is amended 2 by adding a new part 6 to read as follows: 3 <B><U>PART 6. ELECTRONIC WILLS</U></B> 4 <B><U>Section 3-6.1 Short title</U></B> 5 <B><U>3-6.2 Definitions</U></B> 6 <B><U>3-6.3 Law applicable to electronic will; principles of equity</U></B> 7 <B><U>3-6.4 Choice of law regarding execution</U></B> 8 <B><U>3-6.5 Caution to testator</U></B> 9 <B><U>3-6.6 Execution of electronic will</U></B> 10 <B><U>3-6.7 Revocation</U></B> 11 <B><U>3-6.8 Electronic will attested and made self-proving at time of</U></B> 12 <B><U>execution</U></B> 13 <B><U>3-6.9 Filing of an electronic will</U></B> 14 <B><U>§ 3-6.1 Short title</U></B> 15 <B><U>This part may be cited as the New York electronic wills act.</U></B> 16 <B><U>§ 3-6.2 Definitions</U></B> 17 <B><U>For purposes of this part the following terms shall have the following</U></B> 18 <B><U>meanings:</U></B> 19 <B><U>(a) "Audit trail data" means data about the activities of data,</U></B> 20 <B><U>including but not limited to the electronic will's creation and</U></B> 21 <B><U>execution.</U></B> 22 <B><U>(b) "Electronic" shall have the same meaning set forth in subdivision</U></B> 23 <B><U>one of section three hundred two of the state technology law.</U></B> 24 <B><U>(c) "Electronic presence" means the relationship of two or more indi-</U></B> 25 <B><U>viduals in different locations communicating in real time by electronic</U></B> 26 <B><U>means to the same extent as if the individuals were physically present</U></B> 27 <B><U>in the same location.</U></B> EXPLANATION--Matter in <B><U>italics</U></B> (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [<B><S> </S></B>] is old law to be omitted. LBD11569-01-5 </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="122"> S. 7416 2 1 <B><U>(d) "Electronic will" means a will executed electronically in compli-</U></B> 2 <B><U>ance with paragraph (a) of section 3-6.6 and subsequently filed with the</U></B> 3 <B><U>New York state unified court system in accordance with section 3-6.9.</U></B> 4 <B><U>The original electronic will shall contain audit trail data.</U></B> 5 <B><U>(e) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium</U></B> 6 <B><U>or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in</U></B> 7 <B><U>perceivable form.</U></B> 8 <B><U>(f) "Sign" means, with present intent to authenticate or adopt a</U></B> 9 <B><U>record: (1) to execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or (2) to affix to</U></B> 10 <B><U>or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol or process.</U></B> 11 <B><U>(g) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Colum-</U></B> 12 <B><U>bia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or</U></B> 13 <B><U>insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.</U></B> 14 <B><U>The term shall also include a federally recognized Indian tribe.</U></B> 15 <B><U>(h) "Will" has the same meaning as in section 1-2.19.</U></B> 16 <B><U>§ 3-6.3 Law applicable to electronic will; principles of equity</U></B> 17 <B><U>An electronic will is a will for all purposes of the law of this</U></B> 18 <B><U>state. The law of this state applicable to wills and principles of equi-</U></B> 19 <B><U>ty apply to an electronic will, except as modified by this act.</U></B> 20 <B><U>§ 3-6.4 Choice of law regarding execution</U></B> 21 <B><U>A will executed electronically but not in compliance with paragraph</U></B> 22 <B><U>(a) of section 3-6.6 is an electronic will under this act if executed in</U></B> 23 <B><U>compliance with the law of the jurisdiction where the testator is:</U></B> 24 <B><U>(a) physically located when the will is executed; or</U></B> 25 <B><U>(b) domiciled when the will is executed or when the testator dies.</U></B> 26 <B><U>§ 3-6.5 Caution to the testator</U></B> 27 <B><U>An electronic will shall include a disclosure substantially similar to</U></B> 28 <B><U>the following in twelve-point font or larger, boldface, double-spaced</U></B> 29 <B><U>type:</U></B> 30 <B><U>CAUTION TO THE TESTATOR: YOUR WILL IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT. AS TESTA-</U></B> 31 <B><U>TOR, YOUR WILL SHOULD REFLECT YOUR FINAL WISHES. TO BE VALID, IT MUST BE</U></B> 32 <B><U>SIGNED BY YOU OR ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL AUTHORIZED BY YOU AND WHO IS IN YOUR</U></B> 33 <B><U>PHYSICAL PRESENCE AT THE TIME OF SIGNING. IT MUST ALSO BE SIGNED IN YOUR</U></B> 34 <B><U>PHYSICAL OR ELECTRONIC PRESENCE BY AT LEAST TWO INDIVIDUALS, EACH OF</U></B> 35 <B><U>WHOM IS A DOMICILIARY OF A STATE, AND EACH OF WHOM SIGNS THE WILL WITHIN</U></B> 36 <B><U>A THIRTY DAY PERIOD AFTER WITNESSING YOU SIGN THE WILL OR ACKNOWLEDGE</U></B> 37 <B><U>THAT YOU SIGNED IT.</U></B> 38 <B><U>WITHIN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE ELECTRONIC WILL IS EXECUTED, IT MUST BE</U></B> 39 <B><U>ELECTRONICALLY FILED WITH THE NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM.</U></B> 40 <B><U>YOU MAY REVOKE YOUR ELECTRONIC WILL AT ANY TIME. YOU MAY DO SO BY</U></B> 41 <B><U>EXECUTING A SUBSEQUENT WILL OR SEPARATE WRITING CLEARLY INDICATING YOUR</U></B> 42 <B><U>INTENT TO REVOKE ALL OR PART OF YOUR ELECTRONIC WILL, OR BY REQUESTING</U></B> 43 <B><U>ITS REMOVAL FROM THE NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM. ONCE YOU HAVE</U></B> 44 <B><U>REMOVED YOUR ELECTRONIC WILL FROM THE NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT</U></B> 45 <B><U>SYSTEM, IT IS HAS BEEN REVOKED.</U></B> 46 <B><U>§ 3-6.6 Execution of electronic will</U></B> 47 <B><U>(a) Subject to paragraph (d) of section 3-6.8, an electronic will must</U></B> 48 <B><U>be:</U></B> 49 <B><U>(1) a record that is readable as text at the time of signing under</U></B> 50 <B><U>subparagraph two;</U></B> 51 <B><U>(2) signed at the end thereof by:</U></B> 52 <B><U>(A) the testator; or</U></B> 53 <B><U>(B) another individual in the testator's name, in the testator's phys-</U></B> 54 <B><U>ical presence and by the testator's direction, in a manner consistent</U></B> 55 <B><U>with section 3-2.1 (a)(1)(C), subject to the following:</U></B> </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="122"> S. 7416 3 1 <B><U>(i) The presence of any matter following the testator's signature,</U></B> 2 <B><U>appearing on the will at the time of its execution, shall not invalidate</U></B> 3 <B><U>such matter preceding the signature as appeared on the will at the time</U></B> 4 <B><U>of its execution, except that such matter preceding the signature shall</U></B> 5 <B><U>not be given effect, in the discretion of the surrogate, if it is so</U></B> 6 <B><U>incomplete as not to be readily comprehensible without the aid of matter</U></B> 7 <B><U>which follows the signature, or if to give effect to such matter preced-</U></B> 8 <B><U>ing this signature would subvert the testator's general plan for the</U></B> 9 <B><U>disposition and administration of their estate.</U></B> 10 <B><U>(ii) No effect shall be given to any matter, other than the attesta-</U></B> 11 <B><U>tion clause, which follows the signature of the testator, or to any</U></B> 12 <B><U>matter preceding such signature which was added subsequently to the</U></B> 13 <B><U>execution of the will; and</U></B> 14 <B><U>(3) signed in the physical or electronic presence of the testator by</U></B> 15 <B><U>at least two individuals, each of whom is a domiciliary of a state and</U></B> 16 <B><U>within a thirty day period after witnessing:</U></B> 17 <B><U>(A) the signing of the will under subparagraph two; or</U></B> 18 <B><U>(B) the testator's acknowledgment of the signing of the will under</U></B> 19 <B><U>subparagraph two or acknowledgment of the will.</U></B> 20 <B><U>(b) Intent of a testator that the record under subparagraph one of</U></B> 21 <B><U>paragraph (a) of this section be the testator's electronic will may be</U></B> 22 <B><U>established by extrinsic evidence.</U></B> 23 <B><U>§ 3-6.7 Revocation</U></B> 24 <B><U>(a) An electronic will may revoke all or part of a previous will.</U></B> 25 <B><U>(b) An electronic will is revoked by:</U></B> 26 <B><U>(1) a subsequent will that revokes all or part of the electronic will;</U></B> 27 <B><U>(2) removal of the electronic will from the custody of the New York</U></B> 28 <B><U>state unified court system by:</U></B> 29 <B><U>(i) the testator;</U></B> 30 <B><U>(ii) another person duly authorized by the testator as proved by at</U></B> 31 <B><U>least two witnesses, neither of whom shall be the person removing the</U></B> 32 <B><U>electronic will; or</U></B> 33 <B><U>(iii) as otherwise authorized by the uniform rules of the surrogate's</U></B> 34 <B><U>court; or</U></B> 35 <B><U>(3) a writing of the testator clearly indicating an intention to</U></B> 36 <B><U>effect such a revocation or alteration, executed with the formalities</U></B> 37 <B><U>prescribed by this article for the execution and attestation of a will.</U></B> 38 <B><U>(c) An electronic will may be removed from the custody of the New York</U></B> 39 <B><U>state court system by order of a court of competent jurisdiction which,</U></B> 40 <B><U>if occurring during the lifetime of the testator, shall not be deemed a</U></B> 41 <B><U>revocation of the electronic will.</U></B> 42 <B><U>§ 3-6.8 Electronic will attested and made self-proving at time of</U></B> 43 <B><U>execution</U></B> 44 <B><U>(a) An electronic will may be simultaneously executed, attested, and</U></B> 45 <B><U>made self-proving by acknowledgment of the testator and affidavits of</U></B> 46 <B><U>the witnesses.</U></B> 47 <B><U>(b) The acknowledgment and affidavits under paragraph (a) must be:</U></B> 48 <B><U>(1) made before and in the physical or electronic presence of an offi-</U></B> 49 <B><U>cer authorized to administer oaths under law of the state in which the</U></B> 50 <B><U>officer is located; and</U></B> 51 <B><U>(2) evidenced by the officer's certificate under official seal affixed</U></B> 52 <B><U>to or logically associated with the electronic will.</U></B> 53 <B><U>(c) The acknowledgment and affidavits under paragraph (a) must conform</U></B> 54 <B><U>with section fourteen hundred six of the surrogate's court procedure act</U></B> 55 <B><U>and must indicate that the will was signed electronically.</U></B> </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="122"> S. 7416 4 1 <B><U>(d) A signature physically or electronically affixed to an affidavit</U></B> 2 <B><U>that is affixed to or logically associated with an electronic will under</U></B> 3 <B><U>this act is deemed a signature of the electronic will under paragraph</U></B> 4 <B><U>(a) of section 3-6.6.</U></B> 5 <B><U>§ 3-6.9 Filing of electronic will</U></B> 6 <B><U>Within thirty days of its execution, an electronic will shall be elec-</U></B> 7 <B><U>tronically filed with the New York state unified court system either by</U></B> 8 <B><U>the testator or another person duly authorized by the testator. The</U></B> 9 <B><U>electronic will shall remain in the custody of the New York state</U></B> 10 <B><U>unified court system until such time as it is removed or revoked in</U></B> 11 <B><U>accordance with section 3-6.7. The failure to timely file an electronic</U></B> 12 <B><U>will with the New York state unified court system shall result in the</U></B> 13 <B><U>unfiled electronic will being deemed invalid.</U></B> 14 § 2. Paragraph (a) of section 1-2.19 of the estates, powers and trusts 15 law, as amended by chapter 686 of the laws of 1967, and such section as 16 renumbered by chapter 595 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as 17 follows: 18 (a) A will is an oral declaration or written instrument, made as 19 prescribed by 3-2.1 [<B><S>or</S></B>]<B><U>,</U></B> 3-2.2 <B><U>or 3-6.6</U></B> to take effect upon death, 20 whereby a person disposes of property or directs how it shall not be 21 disposed of, disposes of [<B><S>his</S></B>] <B><U>their</U></B> body or any part thereof, exercises 22 a power, appoints a fiduciary or makes any other provision for the 23 administration of [<B><S>his</S></B>] <B><U>their</U></B> estate, and which is revocable during 24 [<B><S>his</S></B>] <B><U>their</U></B> lifetime. 25 § 3. The opening paragraph of paragraph (a) of section 3-2.1 of the 26 estates, powers and trusts law is amended to read as follows: 27 Except for nuncupative and holographic wills authorized by 3-2.2 <B><U>and</U></B> 28 <B><U>electronic will authorized by part six of this article</U></B>, every will must 29 be in writing, and executed and attested in the following manner: 30 § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 307 of the state technology law, as 31 separately amended by chapters 543 of the laws of 2023 and chapter 33 of 32 the laws of 2024, is amended to read as follows: 33 1. To any document providing for the disposition of an individual's 34 person or property upon death or incompetence, or appointing a fiduciary 35 of an individual's person or property, including, without limitation, 36 wills, <B><U>unless such will is executed pursuant to part six of article</U></B> 37 <B><U>three of the estates, powers and trusts law,</U></B> trusts, decisions consent- 38 ing to orders not to resuscitate, and powers of attorney <B><U>and health care</U></B> 39 <B><U>proxies</U></B>, with the exception of: (a) contractual beneficiary desig- 40 nations; (b) the registration of making, amending, or revoking an 41 anatomical gift under section forty-three hundred ten of the public 42 health law; (c) documents and forms authorizing or accepting funeral, 43 cemetery and cremation services; and (d) the execution of a valid power 44 of attorney for the purpose of transferring a salvage certificate of 45 title and the execution of an odometer and damage disclosure statement 46 in connection with such title whenever a loss in connection with a 47 private automobile is determined by an insurer to be a total loss or 48 constructive total loss under section three thousand four hundred twelve 49 of the insurance law. 50 § 5. This act shall take effect on the five hundred forty-fifth day 51 after it shall have become a law. Effective, immediately, the addition, 52 amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the 53 implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be 54 made on or before such effective date. |
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