Estates and Trusts - Interpretation of Wills - Extrinsic Evidence of Intent (Granny's Law)

SB 1029, known as "Granny's Law," allows personal representatives (like executors) to ask courts to interpret wills when a decedent left a bequest to a health provider or charity without specifying it must address health equity, but the decedent showed lifelong interest in health equity. It creates a rebuttable presumption that such bequests should fund health equity efforts, requiring the personal representative to prove the decedent's intent with evidence like their lifetime actions. If a beneficiary doesn’t show how the bequest was used for health equity within 3 years of estate probate, the personal representative can seek court orders to return the funds or recover their value. The law applies retroactively to wills probated since October 1, 2021, directly affecting estates with health-related bequests and beneficiaries receiving those funds.