HF244 Summary

• Adopts the Uniform Electronic Wills Act in Minnesota, allowing wills and codicils to be created, signed, or maintained in electronic, digital, or similar media that are retrievable in perceivable form and capable of verification against alteration after signing.

• Adds new definitions including "electronic will," "presence" (allowing virtual witnessing via electronic device with sight and sound), "signed" (permitting electronic signatures), and "writing" (covering both tangible and electronic media) to Minnesota's probate statutes.

• Permits individuals to create certified paper copies of electronic wills by affirming under penalty of perjury that the paper copy is complete, true, and accurate, with certified copies substitutable for originals when required.

• Amends self-proving will procedures to clarify that acknowledgments and affidavits must occur "in the presence of" rather than "before" an authorized officer.

• Makes conforming and technical changes to definitions in Minnesota Statutes chapter 524 to renumber and update references for consistency with new electronic will provisions.