HOUSE BILL No. 5909

March 18, 2008, Introduced by Reps. Meisner and Schuitmaker and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to exclude certain personal property held in trust from

 

the rule against perpetuities and similar rules that potentially

 

affect the duration of trusts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the

 

"personal property trust perpetuities act".

 

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "First power" means a nonfiduciary, nongeneral power of

 

appointment over personal property held in trust that is exercised

 

so as to subject the property to, or to create, a second power.

 

     (b) "Nonfiduciary" means, with respect to a power of

 

appointment, that the power of appointment is not held by a trustee

 

in a fiduciary capacity.

 

     (c) "Second power" means a nonfiduciary power of appointment

 


over personal property held in trust that is created or to which

 

property is subjected by the exercise of a first power and that is

 

not a presently exercisable general power.

 

     (d) "Uniform statutory rule against perpetuities" means the

 

uniform statutory rule against perpetuities, 1988 PA 418, MCL

 

554.71 to 554.78.

 

     Sec. 3. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3), an interest

 

in, or power of appointment over, personal property held in trust

 

is not invalidated by a rule against any of the following:

 

     (a) Perpetuities.

 

     (b) Suspension of absolute ownership.

 

     (c) Suspension of the power of alienation.

 

     (d) Accumulations of income.

 

     (2) Except as provided in subsection (3), all of the following

 

may be indefinitely suspended, postponed, or allowed to go on with

 

respect to personal property held in trust:

 

     (a) The vesting of a future interest.

 

     (b) The satisfaction of a condition precedent to the exercise

 

of a general power of appointment.

 

     (c) The exercise of a nongeneral or testamentary power of

 

appointment.

 

     (d) Absolute ownership.

 

     (e) The power of alienation.

 

     (f) Accumulations of income.

 

     (3) If a first power is exercised so as to subject the

 

property to, or to create, a second power, the period during which

 

the vesting of a future interest in the property may be postponed

 


by the exercise of the second power shall be determined under the

 

uniform statutory rule against perpetuities by reference to the

 

time the first power was created. A nonvested interest, general

 

power of appointment not presently exercisable because of a

 

condition precedent, or nongeneral or testamentary power of

 

appointment created, or to which property is subjected, by the

 

exercise of the second power is invalid, to the extent of the

 

exercise of the second power, unless the interest or power

 

satisfies the uniform statutory rule against perpetuities measured

 

from the time of the creation of the first power.

 

     Sec. 4. This act applies only to a nonvested interest in, or

 

power of appointment over, personal property held in a trust that

 

is either revocable on, or created after, the effective date of

 

this act.

 

     Enacting section 1. This act does not take effect unless House

 

Bill No. 4602 of the 94th Legislature is enacted into law.