Probate, child seduction bills move out of committees

Several bills moved out of legislative committee this week, including one that would expand the definition of child seduction to include a mental health professional engaging in certain sexual behavior with a patient between 16 and 18 years old.

Senate Bill 53, on child seduction, was amended in the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law to add a definition of “professional relationship” between a person and a child. Also making it out of that committee are:
•    SB 160, which provides that an “expanded criminal history check” for educators requires a national criminal history background check;
•    SB 181, which removes the Class B misdemeanor charge for a person who makes, owns, uses, or buys knives with automatic blades; and
•    SB 119, which makes involuntary manslaughter committed with a vehicle a Class C felony. The committee amended the legislation to include a fetus as a victim.

House Bill 1054, regarding secretary of state filings and recordings, moved out of the House Committee on Judiciary after being amended. The bill would allow the secretary of state to refuse to accept filings or recordings that may be unauthorized or believed to be false or fraudulent.

HB 1056, on probate and trust administration, also made it out of the House Judiciary Committee without any changes to the introduced legislation. The bill, which was prepared by the Probate Code Study Commission, makes changes involving the powers and duties of a personal representative and concerning a personal representative’s employment of an attorney. The bill removes a provision stating that the fee of a surrogate attorney is included in the costs and expenses of the estate administration for purposes of prioritizing claims against an estate.