H4639
An Act for uniform fiduciary access to digital assets
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- Passed House
- Passed Senate
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Bill overview
This bill seeks to establish a consistent legal framework for fiduciaries – such as executors and trustees – to access digital assets, like cryptocurrency and online accounts, on behalf of their beneficiaries. Currently, laws regarding digital asset access vary significantly across Massachusetts, creating confusion and obstacles for those managing estates with digital holdings. The bill aims to standardize procedures and ensure that fiduciaries have the necessary legal authority to manage these assets effectively. It would provide a clearer path for accessing and managing digital assets within probate proceedings.
Key provisions
- Allows fiduciaries to petition courts for access to digital assets.
- Establishes procedures for notifying digital asset providers of fiduciary access requests.
- Defines the scope of fiduciary authority over digital assets.
- Addresses privacy concerns related to accessing digital assets.
- Requires digital asset providers to cooperate with fiduciaries.
- Specifies requirements for reporting on digital asset holdings.
- Creates a process for resolving disputes regarding digital asset access.
Who is affected
- Executors
- Trustees
- Beneficiaries of estates
- Digital asset providers
- Individuals with digital assets
Notable changes
- Creates a uniform legal standard for digital asset access.
- Addresses a gap in existing law regarding digital assets.
- Provides clarity for fiduciaries managing estates with digital assets.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Cosponsors
Jay D. Livingstone
Jeffrey N. Roy
Arguments in favor
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Bill H.4639 194th (Current)
An Act for uniform fiduciary access to digital assets
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Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on the Judiciary Status: Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading
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Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote Committee Summary
Bill History
Displaying 6 actions for Bill H.4639
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 10/23/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on The Judiciary |
| 10/23/2025 | House | New draft of H1855 and H1968 |
| 10/23/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling |
| 11/17/2025 | House | Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting |
| 11/17/2025 | House | Rules suspended |
| 11/17/2025 | House | Read second and ordered to a third reading |
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