This bill revives and amends several sections of the Kansas probate code concerning the estates of absentees, specifically addressing the management and administration of property belonging to individuals who have disappeared or are reported missing in action. Key provisions include the establishment of jurisdiction for district courts to administer absentee estates, the appointment of trustees to manage these estates until the absentee is found or declared dead, and the criteria under which an absentee may be presumed dead after a period of five years of being unheard from. The bill also outlines the necessary procedures for filing petitions for trustee appointments and the requirements for notice to the absentee's next of kin and other interested parties.

Additionally, the bill introduces specific provisions for cases involving catastrophic events or disasters, allowing for the presumption of death if an absentee's body cannot be recovered and evidence places them at the site of the event. It clarifies the process for issuing death certificates in such cases and allows for the amendment of presumptive death certificates if new information arises. The bill repeals the previously existing sections of the probate code that it revives and amends, ensuring that the updated language and procedures are integrated into the Kansas probate framework.