CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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 4                                                                

 5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW

 6

 7

 8

 9

10                                                                

11  The Committee on Real Property & Probate offered the

12  following:

13

14         Amendment (with title amendment) 

15  Remove from the bill:  Everything after the enacting clause

16

17  and insert in lieu thereof:

18         Section 1.   Subsections (5) and (6) of section

19  626.9911, Florida Statutes, are amended and a new subsection

20  (8) is added to said section, to read:

21         626.9911  Definitions.--As used in this act, the term:

22         (5)  "Viatical settlement contract" means a written

23  settlement entered into between a viatical settlement

24  provider, or its related provider trust, and a viator.  The

25  agreement must establish the terms under which the viatical

26  settlement provider will pay compensation or anything of

27  value.

28         (6)  "Viatical settlement provider" means a person who,

29  in this state or from this state, enters into a viatical

30  settlement contract with a viator.  The term does not include:

31         (a)  Any bank, savings bank, savings and loan

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  association, credit union, or other licensed lending

 2  institution that takes an assignment of a life insurance

 3  policy as collateral for a loan;

 4         (b)  A life and health insurer that has lawfully issued

 5  a life insurance policy that provides accelerated benefits to

 6  terminally ill policyholders or certificateholders; or

 7         (c)  Any natural person who enters into no more than

 8  one viatical settlement contract with a viator in 1 calendar

 9  year, unless such natural person has previously been licensed

10  under this act or is currently licensed under this act.

11         (d)  A trust which meets the definition of a "related

12  provider trust".

13         (8)  "Related provider trust" means a trust established

14  by a viatical settlement provider for the sole purpose of

15  entering into or owning viatical settlement contracts. A

16  related provider trust shall be subject to all provisions of

17  this act that apply to the viatical settlement provider who

18  established the related provider trust, except s. 626.9912,

19  which shall not be applicable. A viatical settlement provider

20  may establish no more than one related provider trust, and the

21  sole trustee of such related provider trust shall be the

22  viatical settlement provider licensed under s. 626.9912. The

23  name of the licensed viatical settlement provider shall be

24  included within the name of the related provider trust.

25         Section 2.   Subsection (2) of section 626.9913,

26  Florida Statutes, is amended, and a new subsection (4) is

27  added to said section, to read:

28         626.9913  Viatical settlement provider license

29  continuance; annual report; fees; deposit.--

30         (1)  A viatical settlement provider license continues

31  in force until suspended or revoked.

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1         (2)  Annually, on or before March 1, the viatical

 2  settlement provider licensee shall file a statement containing

 3  information the department requires and shall pay to the

 4  department a license fee in the amount of $500. A viatical

 5  settlement provider shall include in all statements filed with

 6  the department all information requested by the department

 7  regarding a related provider trust established by the viatical

 8  settlement provider. The department may require more frequent

 9  reporting.  Failure to timely file the annual statement or to

10  timely pay the license fee is grounds for immediate suspension

11  of the license.

12         (3)  A viatical settlement provider licensee must

13  deposit and maintain deposited in trust with the department

14  securities eligible for deposit under s. 625.52, having at all

15  times a value of not less than $100,000.  As an alternative to

16  meeting the $100,000 deposit requirement, the provider may

17  deposit and maintain deposited in trust with the department

18  such securities in the amount of $25,000 and post with the

19  department a surety bond acceptable to the department in the

20  amount of $75,000.

21         (4)  There shall be no additional annual license fee or

22  deposit requirements under this act for a related provider

23  trust established by a viatical settlement provider.

24         Section 3.  Subsection (4) is added to section

25  626.9914, Florida Statutes, to read:

26         626.9914  Suspension, revocation, or nonrenewal of

27  viatical settlement provider license; grounds; administrative

28  fine.--

29         (4)  If a viatical settlement provider establishes a

30  related provider trust as permitted by this act, the viatical

31  settlement provider shall be liable and responsible for the

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  performance of all obligations of the related provider trust

 2  under all viatical settlement contracts entered into by the

 3  related provider trust, and for the compliance of the related

 4  provider trust with all provisions of this act. Any violation

 5  of this act by the related provider trust shall be deemed a

 6  violation of this act by the viatical settlement provider as

 7  well as the related provider trust. If the related provider

 8  trust violates any provisions of this act, the department may

 9  exercise all remedies set forth in this act for such

10  violations against the viatical settlement provider, as well

11  as the related provider trust.

12         Section 4.   Subsection (1) of section 626.9921,

13  Florida Statutes, is amended, and a new subsection (3) is

14  added to said section, to read:

15         626.9921  Filing of forms; required procedures;

16  approval.--

17         (1)  A viatical settlement contract form or related

18  form may be used in this state only after the viatical

19  settlement provider or related provider trust has filed the

20  form with the department and only after the form has been

21  approved by the department.

22         (2)  The contract form or related form must be filed

23  with the department at least 60 days before its use.  A

24  contract form or related form is considered approved on the

25  60th day after its date of filing unless it has been

26  previously disapproved by the department. The department must

27  disapprove a viatical settlement contract form or related form

28  that is unreasonable, contrary to the public interest,

29  discriminatory, or misleading or unfair to the viator.

30         (3)  If a viatical settlement provider elects to use a

31  related provider trust in accordance with this act, the

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  viatical settlement provider shall file notice of its

 2  intention to use a related provider trust with the department,

 3  including a copy of the trust agreement of the related

 4  provider trust.

 5         Section 5.  Section 626.99235, Florida Statutes, is

 6  created to read:

 7         626.99235  Disclosures to investors;

 8  misrepresentations.--

 9         (1)  No person shall misrepresent the nature of the

10  return or the duration of time to obtain the return of any

11  investment related to one or more viatical settlements sold by

12  a viatical settlement provider or related provider trust.

13         (2)  The viatical settlement provider, itself or

14  through another person, shall provide in writing the following

15  disclosures to any investor or investor prospect:

16         (a)  That the return available under the viatical

17  investment is directly tied to the projected life span or date

18  of death of one or more viators;

19         (b)  If a return is represented, the disclosure shall

20  indicate the projected life span or date of death of the

21  viator or viators whose life or lives are tied to the return.

22         (c)  If required by the terms of the investment

23  contract, that the investor may be responsible for the payment

24  of insurance premiums on the life of the viator or late or

25  surrender fees or other costs related to the life insurance

26  policy on the life of the viator or viators which may reduce

27  the return.

28         (d)  The amount of any trust fees or other expenses, if

29  any, to be charged to the investor.

30

31  The written disclosure required under this subsection shall be

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4449

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  conspicuously displayed in any investment agreement, and any

 2  solicitation material furnished to the investor by such

 3  provider, trust or person, and shall be in contrasting color

 4  and in not less than 10 point type or no smaller than the

 5  largest type on the page if larger than 10 point type.

 6         Section 6.   This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

 7

 8

 9  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

10  And the title is amended as follows:

11         On page 1, lines 2 through 9

12  remove from the title of the bill:  all of said lines

13

14  and insert in lieu thereof:

15         An act relating to viatical settlement related

16         provider trusts; amending s. 626.9911, F.S.;

17         revising definitions; providing a definition;

18         amending ss. 626.9913, 626.9914, and 626.9921,

19         F.S.; providing exclusions, limitations,

20         requirements, and liability for related

21         provider trusts; providing penalties; creating

22         s. 626.99235, F.S.; prohibiting

23         misrepresentation; providing disclosure of

24         required information; providing an effective

25         date.

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