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Updated:   2026-02-23

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                <ns0:Id>20250SB__140599INT</ns0:Id>
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                                <ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
                                <ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-20</ns0:ActionDate>
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                        <ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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                <ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas</ns0:AuthorText>
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                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Smallwood-Cuevas</ns0:Name>
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                <ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 1521 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to unclaimed property. </ns0:Title>
                <ns0:RelatingClause>unclaimed property</ns0:RelatingClause>
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                        <ns0:Subject>Unclaimed personal property: employee benefit plan distributions.</ns0:Subject>
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                        <html:p>Under existing law, employee benefit plan distributions and any income or other increment thereon escheats to the state if the owner has not, within 3 years after it becomes payable or distributable, accepted the distribution, corresponded in writing concerning the distribution, or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the fiduciary of the trust or custodial fund or administrator of the plan under which the trust or fund is established, except as specified. Existing law defines “fiduciary” and “administrator” for purposes of this provision.</html:p>
                        <html:p>This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to this provision.</html:p>
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                <ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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                        <ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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                                Section 1521 of the
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                                 is amended to read:
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                                        <ns0:Num>1521.</ns0:Num>
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                                                                (a)
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                                                                Except as provided in subdivision (b), and subject to Section 1510, all employee benefit plan distributions and any income or other increment thereon escheats to the state if the owner has not, within three years after it becomes payable or distributable, accepted the distribution, corresponded in writing concerning the distribution, or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the fiduciary of the trust or custodial fund or administrator of the plan under which the trust or fund is established.
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                                                                (b)
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                                                                Except as provided in subdivision (c), an employee benefit plan distribution and any income or other increment thereon shall not escheat to this state if, at the time the distribution shall become payable to a participant in an employee benefit plan, the plan contains a provision for forfeiture or expressly authorizes the administrator to declare a forfeiture of a distribution to a beneficiary thereof who cannot be found after a period of time specified in the plan, and the trust or fund established under the plan has not terminated prior to the date on which the
                                  distribution would become forfeitable in accordance with the provision.
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                                                                (c)
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                                                                A participant entitled to an employee benefit plan distribution in the form of residuals shall be relieved from a forfeiture declared under subdivision (b) upon the making of a claim therefor.
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                                                                (d)
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                                                                For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
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                                                                (1)
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                                                                “Fiduciary” means any person exercising any power, authority, or responsibility of management or disposition with respect to any money or other property of a retirement system or plan.
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                                                                (2)
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                                                                “Administrator” means the person specifically so designated by the plan, trust agreement, contract, or other instrument under which the retirement system or plan is operated, or if none is designated, the employer.
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