SENATOR KELLY announced HB 439 (UNIFORM FRAUDULENT TRANSFER ACT) to to be up for consideration. DANIELLA LOPER, Legislative Aide to Representative Brian Porter, said that HB 439 is the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA). Current law says if a transfer is fraudulent the plaintiff bears the burden of proof which is difficult. UFTA would eliminate the present Alaska necessity of finding actual intent of a property transfer to hinder, delay, or defraud a creditor in many situations where transfers are obviously transferring assets solely to keep them out of reach of the transferrer's creditors. It establishes three basic criteria that need to be met to prove fraudulent transfer. MARY ELLEN BEARDSLY, Assistant Attorney General, said this bill is beneficial because it makes it easier for creditors and harder for debtors to do what they have been doing. SENATOR RIEGER asked her to explain on page 2, lines 28 and 29 the words: "assets of a debtor are unreasonably small in relation to a business or transaction." MS. BEARDSLY explained that means a situation where the debtor sells his assets to avoid paying his current debts. SENATOR LINCOLN asked how this bill protected individuals (the innocent party) who are in a partnership. MS. BEARDSLEY answered that she didn't know how to answer that question, but she said there are defenses in this act in situations where the transferee is a relative of the debtor. The creditor does not have a straight shot at this, but it would be a little easier. Number 334 SENATOR SHARP moved to pass HB 439 with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.