2002 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 602 – Personal property, found, dispositn

HOUSE BILL NO. 602

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View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



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Daily Data Tracking History



H0602................................by JUDICIARY, RULES AND ADMINISTRATION
PERSONAL PROPERTY - FOUND - Adds to existing law to provide for procedures
applicable to the disposition of personal property of a certain value found
by persons other than the owner of the property.
                                                                        
02/08    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/11    Rpt prt - to Jud
02/20    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/21    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/26    3rd rdg - PASSED - 68-1-1
      AYES -- Aikele, Barraclough, Barrett, Bedke, Bell, Bieter, Black,
      Block, Boe, Bolz, Bradford, Bruneel, Callister, Campbell, Clark,
      Collins, Crow, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Ellis, Ellsworth, Eskridge,
      Field(13), Field(20), Gagner, Gould, Hadley, Hammond, Harwood,
      Henbest, Higgins, Hornbeck, Jaquet, Jones, Kellogg(Duncan), Kendell,
      Kunz, Lake, Langford, Loertscher, Mader, Martinez, McKague, Meyer,
      Montgomery, Moyle, Pearce, Pischner, Pomeroy, Raybould, Ridinger,
      Roberts, Robison, Schaefer, Sellman, Shepherd, Smith(33), Smith(23),
      Smylie, Stevenson, Stone, Tilman, Trail, Wheeler, Wood, Young, Mr.
      Speaker
      NAYS -- Sali
      Absent and excused -- Mortensen
    Floor Sponsor - Field(13)
    Title apvd - to Senate
02/27    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Jud
03/04    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/05    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/12    3rd rdg - PASSED - 35-0-0
      AYES -- Andreason, Boatright, Branch(Bartlett), Brandt, Bunderson,
      Burtenshaw, Cameron, Darrington, Davis, Deide, Dunklin, Frasure,
      Geddes, Goedde, Hawkins, Hill, Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, King-Barrutia,
      Little, Lodge, Marley, Noh, Richardson, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder,
      Sims, Sorensen, Stegner, Stennett, Thorne, Wheeler, Williams
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- None
    Floor Sponsor - Richardson
    Title apvd - to House
03/12    To enrol
03/13    Rpt enrol - Sp signed
    Pres signed
03/14    To Governor
03/20    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 131
         Effective: 07/01/02

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-sixth Legislature                  Second Regular Session - 2002
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 602
                                                                        
                      BY JUDICIARY, RULES AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO PERSONAL PROPERTY; AMENDING SECTION 55-404, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE
  3        AN EXCEPTION TO THE REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE  DISBURSEMENT  OF  PRO-
  4        CEEDS  FROM  SALES OF PERSONAL PROPERTY; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 4, TITLE 55,
  5        IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 55-405, IDAHO CODE,  TO  PRO-
  6        VIDE  THAT  PERSONS WHO FIND MONEY OR GOODS OF A CERTAIN VALUE MUST NOTIFY
  7        THE COUNTY CLERK AND PUBLISH A NOTICE OF SUCH  FINDING,  TO  SPECIFY  THAT
  8        OWNERS  OF  FOUND  PERSONAL  PROPERTY MUST ESTABLISH SUCH OWNERSHIP WITHIN
  9        THREE MONTHS, TO PROVIDE FOR FORFEITURE UPON FAILURE  TO  PROPERLY  NOTIFY
 10        THE COUNTY CLERK AND PUBLISH NOTICE OF SUCH FINDING, TO PROVIDE FOR NOTICE
 11        BY  THE COUNTY TREASURER, TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED PER-
 12        SONAL PROPERTY, TO REQUIRE THE PAYMENT OF COSTS AND  CHARGES  INCURRED  IN
 13        THE  FINDING,  GIVING OF NOTICE AND CARE AND CUSTODY OF MONEY OR GOODS AND
 14        TO LIMIT APPLICATION.
                                                                        
 15    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
 16        SECTION 1.  That Section 55-404, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 17    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 18        55-404.  PROCEEDS  OF  SALE -- DISBURSEMENT. Except as provided in section
 19    55-405, Idaho Code, tThe proceeds of said sale shall be applied first  to  all
 20    costs assessed or incurred against the personal property so sold including any
 21    storage  charges  as keepers' fee and expenses of sale incurred by the sheriff
 22    or city police department, and the balance of such proceeds, if any, shall  be
 23    kept  by the sheriff or city police department in a separate fund for a period
 24    of one (1) year from the date of sale. Any person claiming title to, or owner-
 25    ship of, such proceeds by reason of ownership of such personal property at the
 26    time of sale by the sheriff or  city  police  department  shall  make  written
 27    application therefor to the sheriff or city police department. If satisfactory
 28    proof  of  such  title  or  ownership  is furnished within one (1) year of the
 29    receipt of such proceeds, then the said proceeds shall  be  delivered  to  the
 30    claimant.  If no claim and proof is made before the expiration of one (1) year
 31    from the receipt of the proceeds, the same shall be paid by the sheriff to the
 32    county treasurer or by the city police department to the city clerk who  shall
 33    credit the same to the general fund of the county or the city, as the case may
 34    be, and no claim therefor shall be thereafter considered.
                                                                        
 35        SECTION  2.  That  Chapter  4,  Title  55, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
 36    hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and  des-
 37    ignated as Section 55-405, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
                                                                        
 38        55-405.  FOUND  PERSONAL PROPERTY. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision
 39    of law, any person who finds money or goods  valued  at  one  hundred  dollars
 40    ($100)  or  more,  excepting  firearms,  explosives or other deadly weapons as
 41    identified in chapter 33, title 18, Idaho Code, shall, if  the  owner  of  the
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    money  or goods is unknown, give written notice of the finding within ten (10)
  2    days to the county clerk of the county in which the money or goods were found.
  3    Within twenty (20) days after the date of the finding, the  person  who  finds
  4    such money or goods shall cause to be published in a newspaper of general cir-
  5    culation in the county a notice of the finding once each week for two (2) con-
  6    secutive weeks. Each such notice shall state:
  7        (a)  A general description of the money or goods found;
  8        (b)  The address and telephone number of the county clerk's office; and
  9        (c)  The final date by which such money or goods must be claimed.
 10        (2)  If no person establishes ownership of the money or goods prior to the
 11    expiration  of  three  (3)  months  from  the date of the notice to the county
 12    clerk, as provided in subsection (1) of this section,  the  person  who  found
 13    such money or goods shall be the rightful owner thereof.
 14        (3)  (a) If any person who finds money or goods valued at one hundred dol-
 15        lars  ($100)  or  more,  excepting  firearms,  explosives  or other deadly
 16        weapons as identified in chapter 33, title 18, Idaho Code, fails to comply
 17        with the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, such  person  shall
 18        be  liable  to  the county for the money or goods or for the value of such
 19        money or goods.
 20        (b)  Upon forfeiture of the money or goods, or the value of such money  or
 21        goods, as provided in this subsection, the county treasurer shall hold the
 22        money  or  goods or their value for the owner and shall publish in a news-
 23        paper of general circulation in the county a notice of  the  finding  once
 24        each week for two (2) consecutive weeks. Each such notice shall state:
 25             (i)   A general description of the money or goods found;
 26             (ii)  The  address  and  telephone  number  of the county treasurer's
 27             office; and
 28             (iii) The final date by which such money or goods must be claimed.
 29        (c)  If the owner does not reclaim the money or  goods  within  three  (3)
 30        months  after  the  date  of first publication of the notice by the county
 31        treasurer, the owner forfeits any rights to the  money  or  goods  or  the
 32        value thereof and:
 33             (i)   If money, such money shall be placed in the general fund of the
 34             county  for  payment of the general operating expenses of the county;
 35             or
 36             (ii)  If goods, such goods shall be delivered to the sheriff  of  the
 37             county  and  sold  at  public  auction as provided in section 55-403,
 38             Idaho Code. The proceeds of the sale of such goods shall  be  applied
 39             first  to  the costs of the sale and the remainder shall be placed in
 40             the general fund of the county for the payment of the general operat-
 41             ing expenses of the county.
 42        (4)  An owner of money or goods found by another person who establishes  a
 43    claim  to such money or goods within the time period specified in this section
 44    shall have restitution of such money or goods, or their value, upon payment to
 45    the finder or the county treasurer, as applicable, of all  costs  and  charges
 46    incurred  in the finding, giving of notice, and care and custody of such money
 47    or goods.
 48        (5)  Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect  the  provisions
 49    of chapter 5, title 14, Idaho Code.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


	              STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                             RS 11939

This legislation intends to make it possible for finders of lost 
property to obtain permanent ownership of that property if the true 
owner cannot be located.

                        FISCAL IMPACT



There is no fiscal impact on the state. There may be a negligible 
fiscal impact on the county if the provisions of section 55-406 
apply. These costs would ultimately be recovered either from the 
reclaiming owner or from the found money or goods.



Contact
Name:	Monte MacConnell, Ada Cnty. Sheriff’s Office
Phone:	208-377-6500 
        Representative Debbie Field  332-1000




STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE		H 602