Bills Would Curb Unscrupulous Executors

wentworth.senate.state.tx.us, Feb 22, 2007

Prior to opening of the 80th Texas Legislature on January 9, members of the Senate and House of Representatives had already filed 640 bills.

Senators and representatives will continue to file bills throughout the first 60 days of the 140-day session; however, the vast majority of bills will be filed in the first few weeks.

In addition to nine bills that I filed prior to January 9, I plan to file a bill that would make it more difficult for executors of estates to steal from or mismanage the estates they have been chosen to administer. My bill would require executors to send written notices to each of the heirs named in the will to tell them they are beneficiaries and to send them a copy of the will so that they may see what they are to receive.

Current Texas probate laws do not require executors to notify heirs named in wills unless the beneficiary is a charitable organization. In addition, state law does not require executors to describe to probate courts how assets were divided.

Details of the bill are still being drafted, but it will contain provisions that protect heirs named in wills, which will help ensure that they receive their rightful inheritance in a timely manner.
Read more at wentworth.senate.state.tx.us.