Public guardians and public administrators.

Section 2901(d)(1)(A) changed from requiring financial institutions to provide information about 'property held in the sole name of the proposed ward or conservatee' to 'property held in the name of the proposed ward or conservatee,' removing the sole-name limitation and expanding the scope of property subject to disclosure.

Document converted from Senate-amended format (with amendment dates, line numbers, page headers, and 'as amended' digest language) to final enrolled bill format with passage dates for both chambers.

Removes the requirement that property be held in the sole name of the decedent before a public administrator can obtain information or take possession. This means publicly administered estates can now reach jointly-held accounts and other shared property, not just individually-titled assets.

Explicitly grants the public administrator access to a safe-deposit box rented in the sole name of the decedent for inspection and removal of a will or instructions for disposition of remains. Costs of drilling or forcing the box are borne by the estate.

Expands the list of entities required to comply with written certifications from just 'financial institution' to include governmental or private agencies, retirement fund administrators, insurance companies, licensed securities dealers, and other persons. This broadens who can be sanctioned for non-compliance.

Corrects cross-reference errors in certificate forms: changes a reference from Section 7660 to Section 2901 in the public guardian's certificate, corrects 'Public Conservator' to 'Public Guardian' in one liability discharge provision, and fixes 'internment' to 'interment' in the public administrator's certificate.

Clarifies the recording provision language for written certifications, changing 'in any county in which is located real property of which the public guardian is authorized to take possession or control under this chapter' to a grammatically corrected version specifying the county where the real property is located.

Corrected multiple instances where both the old value (30 days) and new value (60 days) appeared in the text due to markup artifacts. Now cleanly reads '60 days' in Sections 2901, 2901.5, and 7603.

Fixed typo in the legislative digest and code text: 'government governmental or private agency' corrected to 'governmental or private agency' in multiple locations.

Added cross-reference language 'as provided under Section 7660 of the Probate Code' to the liability discharge provisions in Sections 2901(e)(2) and 2901.5(e)(2), clarifying that the full discharge from liability for financial institutions operates as provided under the summary administration statute.

All written certifications issued by public guardians, public conservators, and public administrators are now valid for 60 days after issuance instead of the previous 30 days. This applies across Sections 2901, 2901.5, 7603, and 7660 of the Probate Code.

A new requirement mandates that financial institutions or other persons must receive at least 30 days' written notice to comply before any monetary sanctions (minimum $1,000 per violation) can be imposed. The notice must be served in accordance with Section 684.115 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

The liability discharge provisions are expanded to explicitly cover 'account owner, estate, heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, or any other person' and add language about 'good faith reliance upon a request, direction, or certification' of the public official.

Certificate forms now require inclusion of the individual's full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and last address, providing financial institutions with more identifying information to locate accounts and property.

Certificate forms now include county contact points (telephone, email, website) for financial institutions to verify the identity or authority of personnel serving the certificate.

A new provision requires financial institutions to deny payments, withdrawals, or other debits from a decedent's account upon receipt of a valid certificate, except where the payment is subject to an existing agreement between the customer and the institution or to federal or state law.

If only some personal identifying information is provided on the certificate, financial institutions must make reasonable efforts to identify assets of the decedent under their control and must contact the Public Administrator expeditiously if they cannot validate the individual as a customer.

New language in all certificate forms states that public guardian, conservator, or administrator personnel are not required to provide their personal driver's license, identification card, home address, Social Security number, or date of birth when serving certificates. Deputy personnel acting within the scope of employment are explicitly stated to not be 'members of the public' under Government Code Section 7920.515.

A new comprehensive certificate form is added for public administrator use under Sections 7603 and 7660, including checkboxes to indicate whether the certificate authorizes general possession/control or summary administration of estates not exceeding $50,000.

Throughout the bill, the term 'government or private agency' is changed to 'governmental or private agency' for consistency and clarity.

In four separate provisions (Sections 2901, 2901.5, 7603, and 7660 of the Probate Code), the language 'shall result in monetary sanctions' was changed to 'may result in monetary sanctions.' This gives courts discretion to decide whether to impose the minimum $1,000 penalty when a financial institution or other entity fails to comply with public guardian/administrator certification requirements, rather than mandating the penalty.

The digest was updated to reflect that the bill 'would authorize a court to award sanctions' instead of 'would require a court to award sanctions,' confirming the shift from mandatory to discretionary enforcement.

The description of public guardian powers over trust property now explicitly includes 'transferring' alongside 'encumbering, or disposing of' as actions that can be restrained, broadening the scope of protective authority over trust assets.