AB129: Bill Text

AB129,7,18 (a) The physical and mental health of the payee.

AB129,7,19 (b) The payee's overall financial situation.

AB129,7,22 (4) Notwithstanding subs. (1) to (3), no court may approve the transfer of payments that are part of a Medicare set-aside arrangement established under 42 USC 1395y (b) (2).

AB129,5 Section 5. 895.68 of the statutes is created to read:

AB129,8,3 895.68 Effects of transfer of structured settlement payment rights. A transfer of structured settlement payment rights under this subchapter includes the following effects:

AB129,8,6 (1) The structured settlement obligor and the annuity issuer shall, as to all parties except the transferee, be discharged and released from any and all liability for the transferred payments.

AB129,8,8 (2) The transferee shall be liable to the structured settlement obligor and the annuity issuer for all of the following:

AB129,8,10 (a)   Any taxes incurred by such parties as a consequence of the transfer, if the transfer contravenes the terms of the structured settlement.

AB129,8,13 (b)   Any other liabilities or costs, including reasonable costs and attorney fees, arising from compliance by the parties with the order of the court or arising as a consequence of the transferee's failure to comply with this subchapter.

AB129,8,16 (c) A transfer of payments that would require an annuity issuer or the structured settlement obligor to divide any periodic payment between the payee and any transferee or assignee or between multiple transferees or assignees.

AB129,8,19 (3)   Neither the annuity issuer nor the structured settlement obligor may be required to divide any periodic payment between the payee and any transferee or assignee or between multiple transferees or assignees.

AB129,6 Section 6. 895.69 of the statutes is created to read:

AB129,8,23 895.69 Procedure. (1)   A petition for approval of a transfer of structured settlement payment rights shall be brought by the transferee in the county in which the payee resides.

AB129,9,2 (2) A hearing must be held on a petition for approval of a transfer agreement. The payee must attend the hearing in person unless the court determines that appearance via audiovisual technology is appropriate or that good cause exists for the payee not to appear.

AB129,9,6 (3)   Not less than 20 days prior to the hearing required under sub. (2), the transferee shall file with the court and serve on all interested parties a notice of the proposed transfer and the petition for its authorization, including with the notice all of the following:

AB129,9,7 (a) A copy of the transferee's petition.

AB129,9,8 (b) A copy of the transfer agreement.

AB129,9,9 (c)   A copy of the disclosure statement required under s. 895.66.

AB129,9,11 (d)   A listing of each of the payee's dependents, together with each dependent's age.

AB129,9,14 (e)   Notification that any interested party is entitled to support, oppose, or otherwise respond to the transferee's petition, either in person or by counsel, by submitting written comments to the court or by participating in the hearing.

AB129,9,18 (f)   Notification of the time and place of the hearing and notification of the manner in which and the time by which written responses to the petition must be filed in order to be considered by the court. Written responses may not be due less than 15 days after service of the notice.

AB129,9,22 (g) An affidavit from the payee stating whether the payee is delinquent in the payment of taxes in this state or in any payments required to be made pursuant to a restitution order in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding, or pursuant to a child support order.

AB129,9,24 (4) Notwithstanding the general service of process requirements under s. 801.11, service by certified mail or overnight mail with proof of delivery or its equivalent constitutes adequate service of process for purposes of the notice requirement under sub. (3).

AB129,7 Section 7. 895.70 of the statutes is created to read:

AB129,10,5 895.70 General provisions. (1)   The provisions of this subchapter may not be waived by any payee.

AB129,10,10 (2)   Any transfer agreement entered into by a payee who resides in this state shall provide that disputes under such transfer agreement, including any claim that the payee has breached the agreement, may be determined in and under the laws of this state. No transfer agreement may authorize the transferee or any other party to confess judgment or consent to entry of judgment against the payee.

AB129,10,17 (3)   No transfer of structured settlement payment rights shall extend to any payments that are life contingent unless, prior to the date on which the payee signs the transfer agreement, the transferee has established and has agreed to maintain procedures reasonably satisfactory to the annuity issuer and the structured settlement obligor for periodically confirming the payee's survival, and giving the annuity issuer and the structured settlement obligor prompt written notice in the event of the payee's death.

AB129,10,21 (4)   No payee who proposes to make a transfer of structured settlement payment rights shall incur any penalty, forfeit any application fee or other payment, or otherwise incur any liability to the proposed transferee or any assignee based on any failure of such transfer to satisfy the conditions of this subchapter.

AB129,10,23 (5)   This subchapter may not be construed to authorize any transfer of structured settlement payment rights in contravention of any law.

AB129,11,3 (6)   Compliance with the requirements set forth in ss. 895.66 and 895.67 shall be solely the responsibility of the transferee in any transfer of structured settlement payment rights, and neither the structured settlement obligor nor the annuity issuer shall bear any responsibility for, or any liability arising from, noncompliance with such requirements or failure to fulfill such conditions.

AB129,11,7 (7) Following any transfer of structured settlement payment rights under this subchapter, any further transfer of structured settlement payment rights by the payee may be made only after compliance with all of the requirements of this subchapter, at the time of such further transfer.

AB129,8 Section 8. Initial applicability.

AB129,11,10 (1) This act first applies to transfer agreements entered into on the effective date of this subsection.

AB129,11,11 (End)