§46-44.5  Lapsed warrant.  Any law tothe contrary notwithstanding, any warrant drawn upon any county treasury shallbe presented for payment before the close of the fiscal year next after thefiscal year in which it has been issued.  All warrants not so presented withinthat time shall be deemed to be lapsed and shall not be paid, and any moneyheld in the county treasury for payment of the warrant shall thereupon betransferred to a trust fund established and known as the lapsed warrants trustfund; provided that the fund balance in the trust fund shall not exceed$500,000 and any excess of that amount shall be transferred to the generalfund; provided that within the period of four fiscal years immediatelyfollowing the year in which the warrant was lapsed, the payee or assignee ofthe warrant, or, if the payee is deceased, the personal representative of theestate of the payee, or if the estate of the payee is closed, to any personlawfully entitled to the undisposed property of the deceased payee, shall beentitled to payment of the amount of the warrant out of the trust fund uponfiling with the director of finance of the county a claim for recoverysupported by evidence that may be deemed satisfactory by the director. [L 1974,c 56, §1; am L 1976, c 200, pt of §1; am L 1998, c 298, §1]