Jim Rosica
Legislation that would protect one’s “digital assets” after death has cleared the last of its three review panels.
The Senate Rules Committee unanimously OK’d the bill (SB 494) on Wednesday, making it available to be heard on the Senate floor.
Under the bill, someone of a person’s choosing could have access to and control their financial accounts, social media and almost anything else the person has online after their death, such as “emails, text messages, online photographs, documents stored in the cloud, electronic bank statements, and other electronic communications or records.”
The “asset” manager could be next of kin, a friend, an attorney, or anyone the person selects.
State Sen. Dorothy Hukill, a Port Orange Republican, is sponsoring the bill. Its House companion (HB 747) is now pending in its last panel.
The bills have cleared the committee process so far in both chambers with only one opposing vote.
