Existing law governs the administration of the estates of decedents. Under existing law, when an individual dies intestate, a court is authorized to appoint certain specified persons to act as that individual’s personal representative and to administer the individual’s estate. Further, existing law prescribes an order of preference for appointment among those persons.

This bill would, until January 1, 2016, expand a court’s appointment authority by authorizing the court to appoint an administrator who is nominated by a person who is not a United States resident if the nominator would otherwise be entitled to appointment as an administrator of the decedent’s estate.