(1) If a testator, under the terms of a governing instrument executed prior to September 12, 1981, leaves outright to or in trust for the benefit of that testator's surviving spouse an amount or fractional share of that testator's estate or a trust estate expressed in terms of one-half of that testator's federal adjusted gross estate, or by any other reference to the maximum estate tax marital deduction allowable under federal law without referring, either in that governing instrument or in any codicil or amendment thereto, specifically to the unlimited federal estate tax marital deduction enacted as part of the economic recovery tax act of 1981, such expression shall, unless subsection (2) or (3) of this section applies, be construed as referring to the unlimited federal estate tax marital deduction, and also as expressing such amount or fractional share, as the case may be, in terms of the minimum amount which will cause the least possible amount of federal estate tax to be payable as a result of the testator's death, taking into account other property passing to the surviving spouse that qualifies for the marital deduction, at the value at which it qualifies, and also taking into account all credits against the federal estate tax, but only to the extent that the use of these credits do not increase the death tax payable.

(2) If this subsection applies to a testator, such expression shall be construed as referring to the estate tax marital deduction allowed by federal law immediately prior to the enactment of the unlimited estate tax marital deduction as a part of the economic recovery tax act of 1981. This subsection applies if subsection (3) of this section does not apply and:

(a) The application of this subsection to the testator will not cause an increase in the federal estate taxes payable as a result of the testator's death over the amount of such taxes which would be payable if subsection (1) of this section applied; or

(b) The testator is survived by a blood or adopted descendant who is not also a blood or adopted descendant of the testator's surviving spouse, unless such person or persons have entered into an agreement under RCW 11.96A.220; or

(c) The testator amended the governing instrument containing such expression after December 31, 1981, without amending such expression to refer expressly to the unlimited federal estate tax marital deduction.

(3) If the governing instrument contains language expressly stating that federal law of a particular time prior to January 1, 1982, is to govern the construction or interpretation of such expression, the expression shall be construed as referring to the marital deduction allowable under federal law in force and effect as of that time.

(4) If subsection (2) or (3) of this section applies to the testator, the expression shall not be construed as referring to any property that the personal representative of the testator's estate or other authorized fiduciary elects to qualify for the federal estate tax marital deduction as qualified terminable interest property. If subsection (1) of this section applies to the testator, any provision shall be construed as referring to any property that the personal representative of the testator's estate or other authorized fiduciary elects to qualify for the federal estate tax marital deduction as qualified terminable interest property, but only to the extent that such construction does not cause the amount or fractional share left to or for the benefit of the surviving spouse to be reduced below the amount that would pass under subsection (2) or (3) of this section, whichever is applicable.

(5) This section is effective with respect to testators dying after December 31, 1982.

Effective date—1999 c 42: See RCW 11.96A.902.

Short title—Application—Purpose—Severability—1985 c 30: See RCW 11.02.900 through 11.02.903.

Severability—Effective dates—1984 c 149: See notes following RCW 11.02.005.