Bill > HB180

This bill modifies and establishes comprehensive provisions relating to estate planning, primarily focusing on electronic wills and electronic estate planning documents. The legislation introduces the "Missouri Electronic Wills and Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act," which allows for the creation, execution, and validation of electronic wills and other estate planning documents using digital technologies. Key provisions include defining electronic presence, establishing requirements for electronic wills (such as being readable as text, signed by the testator or their designated representative, and witnessed electronically), and providing methods for creating certified paper copies of electronic documents. The bill also addresses the transfer of trust administration, statute of limitations for breach of trust claims, and retroactively validates certain estate planning documents executed during the COVID-19 state of emergency (between April 2020 and December 2021) that were completed remotely. Importantly, the bill ensures that electronic estate planning documents have the same legal standing as traditional paper documents and provides guidelines for their creation, execution, and authentication. The legislation will apply to wills of decedents who die on or after August 28, 2025, and to estate planning documents signed or remotely witnessed on or after that date.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB180&year=2025&code=R