Chairperson Humphries opened the Hearing on SB480.

Jason Thompson, Office of Revisor of Statutes, presented the Bill Brief.  (Attachment 1)

Mr. Thompson stood for questions.

Proponent:

Shane Rosson, Attorney with Triplett Woolf Barretson LLC, for the Kansas Judicial Council, testified that SB480 allows a court to appoint a trustee to manage the property of a person who is unexpectedly absent. These statutes were repealed by (2025) HB2359 (effective January 1, 2026) as part of the enactment of the new guardianship and conservatorship laws. At the time, it was believed that the new statutory framework would sufficiently address matters previously governed by the absentee estates statutes.  However, the new act does not include the necessary provisions that allow the court to bring long-term absentee cases to resolution after many years.  (Attachment 2)

The Chairperson drew attention to the Proponent Written Only testimony:

Joseph Molina, Kansas Bar Association  (Attachment 3)

Chairperson Humphries closed the Hearing on SB480.