7-7.1 - Child performer trust account
§ 7-7.1 Child performer trust account 1. Scope. This section applies to contracts pursuant to which a child performer: (a) is employed or agrees to render artistic or creative services for a fee, either directly or through a third-party individual or personal services corporation (loan-out company), or through an agency or service that provides artistic or creative services (casting agency); and (b) agrees to purchase, or otherwise secure, sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of literary, musical, or dramatic properties, or use of a person's likeness, voice recording, performance, or story of or incidents in his or her life, either tangible or intangible, or any other rights therein for use in motion pictures, television, the production of sound recordings in any format now known or hereafter devised, the legitimate or living stage, or otherwise in the entertainment field. 2. Establishment of child performer trust account. (a) Employer. Within thirty days following the final day of employment, except when the performance contract is a period longer than thirty days, a child performer's employer is required to transfer fifteen percent of gross earnings to the custodian of the child performer's child performer trust account. When the employment is longer than thirty days, the employer shall make the required transfer every payroll period. Transfers must conform with part six of this article. The use of an instrument to make the transfer which substantially conforms with section 7-6.9 is sufficient. If the child performer's employer has not been notified within fifteen days of the commencement of employment of the existence of a child performer trust account, or no such account has been established, then the child performer's employer shall transfer such monies together with the child performer's name and last known address to the state comptroller for placement into the child performer's holding fund established in section ninety-nine-k of the state finance law and such monies shall be administered by the state comptroller. Once transfers have been made to the child performer's trust account or the child performer's holding fund, as required by this subdivision, the child performer's employer has no further duty under this section. (b) Custodian and guardian. Within fifteen days of the commencement of employment the child performer's guardian or custodian must establish a child performer trust account in accordance with part six of this article, unless an account has previously been established. Once the child performer trust account has been established the child performer's guardian or custodian shall notify the child performer's employer of the existence of the account and any additional information required to make transfers. The custodian of the account shall promptly notify the child performer's employer of any change in facts which affect the employer's obligation to set aside funds under this section. Upon request of the parent, legal guardian or the child performer's guardian ad litem, the custodian may require the child performer's employer to transfer more than fifteen percent of the gross earnings to the child performer trust account. The child performer's parent or legal guardian may serve as custodian. Once the child performer trust account balance reaches two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more a trust company shall be appointed as custodian of the account. (c) Termination of child performer trust account. The child performer may terminate the child performer trust account upon reaching the age of eighteen. 3. Standard for child performer trust accounts. Custodian management of funds which are required to be placed into a child performer trustaccount shall be subject to part six of this article, in all respects except as provided in this section.