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DE HB103

Bill

Status

Passed

8/21/2025

Primary Sponsor

William Bush

Click for details

Origin

House of Representatives

153rd General Assembly

AI Summary

  • Expands the definition of "fiduciary" to include enforcers of purpose trusts (trusts without charitable purposes but with declared purposes) who act in a fiduciary capacity, and clarifies that enforcers not acting in such capacity are nonfiduciaries

  • Clarifies that beneficiaries with discretionary interests in trusts cannot compel distributions, as such interests are mere expectancies rather than property rights, though beneficiaries retain the ability to sue for abuse of discretion

  • Allows trustees and other officeholders to resign through trust modification by consent (§ 3342) or nonjudicial settlement agreement (§ 3338), reducing the need for court petitions when governing instruments are silent on resignation procedures

  • Updates purpose trust law by defining "enforcer," allowing governing instruments to grant exclusive standing to enforce trust terms, subjecting enforcers to Delaware personal jurisdiction, and permitting enforcers to act as "interested persons" for nonjudicial settlements when no identifiable beneficiaries exist

  • Clarifies that when one spouse makes a gift in trust for the other spouse, the donee spouse's interest is not considered marital property for divorce purposes unless the trust agreement expressly provides otherwise

Legislative Description

An Act To Amend Title 12 And Title 13 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Decedents Estates And Fiduciary Relations.

Last Action

Signed by Governor

8/21/2025

Committee Referrals

Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology4/17/2025
Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce3/27/2025

Full Bill Text

No bill text available