(a) General rule.--No beneficiary of a trust in an individual, trustee or other capacity may appoint himself or herself as trustee or remove a trustee and appoint in place of the trustee so removed a trustee who is related or subordinate to the beneficiary within the meaning of section 672(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C. § 672(c)) in each case unless:

(1) the trustee's discretionary power to make distributions to or for the beneficiary is limited by an ascertainable standard relating to the beneficiary's health, education, support or maintenance within the meaning of sections 2041 and 2514 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. §§ 2041 and 2514);

(2) the trustee's discretionary power may not be exercised to satisfy any of the beneficiary's legal obligations for support or other purposes; and

(3) the trustee's discretionary power may not be exercised to grant to the beneficiary a general power to appoint property of the trust to the beneficiary, the beneficiary's estate or the creditors of either within the meaning of section 2041 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 2041).

(b) Exceptions.--This section shall not apply:

(1) if the appointment of the trustee by the beneficiary may be made only in conjunction with another person having a substantial interest in the property of the trust subject to the power which is adverse to the exercise of the power in favor of the beneficiary within the meaning of section 2041(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 2041(b)(1)(C)(ii)) or the appointment is in conformity with a procedure governing appointments approved by the court before December 21, 1998;

(2) to any beneficiary who possesses in an individual capacity an unlimited right to withdraw the entire principal of the trust or has a general testamentary power of appointment over the entire principal of the trust; or

(3) to a trust created under a governing instrument executed on or before March 21, 1999, if no part of the principal of the trust would have been included in the gross estate of the beneficiary for Federal estate tax purposes if the beneficiary had died on March 21, 1999.

(July 7, 2006, P.L.625, No.98, eff. 60 days)