Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 33 of chapter 167D of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- Deposits standing in the individual name of a deceased depositor of a bank or federally chartered bank shall be paid to his legal representative, but if the deposit does not exceed $10,000 and there has been no demand for payment from a duly appointed executor or administrator, payment may be made, in the discretion of the treasurer or other duly authorized officer of the bank or federally chartered bank, or pursuant to special vote of its board, after the expiration of 30 days from the death of such depositor, to the surviving spouse of said deceased depositor or if there be no surviving spouse, to the next of kin of such deceased upon presentation of a copy of the decedent's death certificate and the surrender of the deposit book or other instrument, if any, evidencing the deposit.