An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, in disposition of abandoned and unclaimed property, further providing for certificate of finder registration and for notice and publication of lists of property subject to custody and control of the Commonwealth under this article.

PRINTER'S NO. 2197
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1786
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY BASHLINE, BARGER, DOUGHERTY, INGLIS, RASEL,
BIZZARRO, NEILSON, SANCHEZ, ANDERSON, SHAFFER, ZIMMERMAN,
SHUSTERMAN, SMITH, HADDOCK, KLUNK AND K.HARRIS,
AUGUST 5, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, AUGUST 10, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
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other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
Commonwealth," in disposition of abandoned and unclaimed
property, further providing for certificate of finder
registration and for notice and publication of lists of
property subject to custody and control of the Commonwealth
under this article.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1301.11a(b), (d) and (e) introductory
paragraph of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known
as The Fiscal Code, are amended to read:
Section 1301.11a. Certificate of Finder Registration.--* * *
(b) An application for a certificate of registration shall
be in writing and on the form prescribed by the State Treasurer
and accompanied by a recent full face color photograph of the
applicant. In addition to information that may be requested by
the State Treasurer, the application shall provide the
following:
1. the applicant's full name, telephone number, e-mail
address, home address and work address;
2. a statement that the applicant has not, during the ten-
year (10) period immediately preceding the submission of the
application, violated a provision of this article or been
convicted of a felony or an offense of:
(i) theft or other related offenses against property as
enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 39 (relating to theft and
related offenses) or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction;
(ii) forgery or other fraudulent practices as enumerated in
18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 41 (relating to forgery and fraudulent practices)
or its equivalent if committed in another jurisdiction; [or]
(iii) perjury, false swearing, fraud or other offense as
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enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 49 Subch. A (relating to perjury
and falsification in official matters) or its equivalent if
committed in another jurisdiction;
(iv) burglary and other criminal intrusion as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 35 (relating to burglary and other criminal
intrusion) or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction;
(v) robbery as enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 37 (relating
to robbery) or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction;
(vi) bribery and corrupt influence as enumerated under 18
Pa.C.S. Ch. 47 (relating to bribery and corrupt influence) or
its equivalent if committed in another jurisdiction; or
(vii) obstructing governmental operations as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 51 (relating to obstructing governmental
operations) or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction;
3. A statement that, to the applicant's knowledge, the
applicant is not the subject of an ongoing investigation or
prosecution involving an alleged violation of a provision of
this article or an offense of:
(i) theft or other related offenses against property as
enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 39 or its equivalent if
committed in another jurisdiction;
(ii) forgery or other fraudulent practices as enumerated in
18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 41 or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction; [or]
(iii) perjury, false swearing, fraud or other offense as
enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 49 Subch. A or its equivalent if
committed in another jurisdiction; [and]
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(iv) burglary and other criminal intrusion as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 35 or its equivalent if committed in
another jurisdiction;
(v) robbery as enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 37 or its
equivalent if committed in another jurisdiction;
(vi) bribery and corrupt influence as enumerated under 18
Pa.C.S. Ch. 47 or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction; or
(vii) obstructing governmental operations as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 51 or its equivalent if committed in
another jurisdiction;
4. The notarized signature of the applicant immediately
following an acknowledgment that a false or perjured statement
subjects the applicant to criminal liability[.];
5. a completed Federal criminal history background check, of
which:
(i) the State Treasurer shall prescribe the manner by which
the background check shall be submitted, which shall include a
method by which applicants may submit fingerprints to be
transmitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Federal
criminal history record information pursuant to applicable
Federal law;
(ii) the background check shall be submitted with the
initial or renewal application and shall be no more than five
(5) years old at the time of the application; and
(iii) the State Treasurer shall maintain a copy of the
background check, which shall be made available to the applicant
in a manner prescribed by the State Treasurer;
6. the State Treasurer shall reject any application if the
applicant refuses or fails to comply with clause 5; and
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7. a sworn statement of compliance with all applicable
ethics standards, on a form and in a manner as prescribed by the
State Treasurer.
* * *
(d) A certificate of registration with a unique registration
number may be issued to an applicant if the following conditions
are met:
1. During the ten-year (10) period immediately preceding the
submission of the application, the applicant has not violated a
provision of this article or been convicted of a felony or an
offense of:
(i) theft or other related offenses against property as
enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 39 or its equivalent if
committed in another jurisdiction;
(ii) forgery or other fraudulent practices as enumerated in
18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 41 or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction; [or]
(iii) perjury, false swearing, fraud or other offense as
enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 49 Subch. A or its equivalent if
committed in another jurisdiction; [and]
(iv) burglary and other criminal intrusion as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 35 or its equivalent if committed in
another jurisdiction;
(v) robbery as enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 37 or its
equivalent if committed in another jurisdiction;
(vi) bribery and corrupt influence as enumerated under 18
Pa.C.S. Ch. 47 or its equivalent if committed in another
jurisdiction; or
(vii) obstructing governmental operations as enumerated
under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 51 or its equivalent if committed in
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another jurisdiction; and
2. The applicant has executed a sworn statement that is a
commitment to conduct his actions as a finder of abandoned and
unclaimed property in compliance with this article and the
regulations promulgated under this article.
(e) The certificate of registration issued under this
section is for a period of [two (2)] five (5) years and may be
renewed every [two (2)] five (5) years if the following
conditions are met:
* * *
Section 2. Section 1301.12(b)3 of the act is amended,
subsection (b) is amended by adding a clause and the section is
amended by adding a subsection to read:
Section 1301.12. Notice and Publication of Lists of Property
Subject to Custody and Control of the Commonwealth under this
Article.--* * *
(b) The published notice shall be entitled "Notice of Names
of Persons Appearing to be Owners of Abandoned and Unclaimed
Property," and shall contain:
* * *
3. A statement that a proof of claim should be presented by
the owner to the holder within three (3) months from the date of
the published notice, and that thereafter claims should be filed
with the State Treasurer[.];
4. Information regarding the process by which an owner can
claim property through the State Treasurer with no charge.
* * *
(g) The State Treasurer shall maintain on the publicly
accessible Internet website of the Treasury Department a sample
finder agreement.
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Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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