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James Skoufis

Sponsor · State Senator, District 42 · Democratic

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Senate bill · S4549 (2025-26)

Relates to requiring principals to notify co-trustees and co-beneficiaries of the signing of a power of attorney

Latest action Jan 7, 2026

Summary

Requires principals to make a good faith effort to identify and notify co-trustees and co-beneficiaries of the signing of a power of attorney including the identity of the agent where the agent is not a co-trustee or co-beneficiary.

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Where it stands

Out of committee and scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Up for a vote
  4. Passed one chamber
  5. Passed
  6. Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A8430, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the General Obligations Law.

Committee

Judiciary · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Judiciary · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

To provide more transparency in certain financial matters.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

  • Vote: Committee vote · Judiciary

    Senate JudiciaryMar 11, 2025Result: passed

    (19) (0) (0) (0)

The sponsor's argument

Why James Skoufis says this is needed

This bill provides essential protections for trustees and beneficiaries in financial matters where they share a trust or financial agreement with others. Currently, a trustee or beneficiary can execute a power of attorney (POA) with a third party without notifying co-trustees or co-beneficiaries, creating a risk that an unauthorized agent could deplete the trust or financial assets. Therefore, this legislation mandates that any trustee or beneficiary who grants a POA must notify all co-trustees and co-beneficiaries in writing, ensuring transparency and safeguarding shared financial interests. If a principal cannot iden- tify or contact a co-beneficiary despite making good-faith efforts, they must formally attest to their attempts. By implementing this require- ment, the bill enhances accountability and prevents potential financial exploitation within shared trusts and financial agreements.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

  1. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

    NY Senate

  2. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

    NY Assembly

  3. Jun 13, 2025

    In committee

    COMMITTED TO RULES

    NY Senate

  4. May 15, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

    NY Assembly

  5. Mar 13, 2025

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

Show full history (3 earlier events)
  1. Mar 12, 2025

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  2. Mar 11, 2025

    1ST Report CAL.542

    1ST REPORT CAL.542

    NY Senate

  3. Feb 6, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

    NY Senate

About this record

Summary

The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.

Source

From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 3, 2026. About our data

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