LegislationJan 17, 2012 - New Jersey
NJ Assembly Bill 1050 - New Jersey Assembly 1050 clarifies the classification of the crimes of (a) knowingly engaging in the unauthorized practice of law and (b) knowingly engaging in the unauthorized practice of law as an immigration consultant. New Jersey Notaries are thereby put on notice that the state is taking violations of these offenses very seriously in criminal and civil proceedings and refusing to appoint as Notaries persons who have been convicted of either.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - California
CA Assembly Bill 1023 - Assembly Bill 2023 makes a non-substantive technical correction to Civil Code Section 1195.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Alabama
AL Senate Bill 54 - Senate Bill 54 raises the fees a Notary may charge to $5, the amount of the bond to $25,000 and the commissioning fee to $10, and eliminates the outdated commission for county-appointed Notaries with countywide jurisdiction. Most important, however, is that SB 54 repeals the “fair register” or journal provisions in Alabama.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Alabama
AL House Bill 29 - Alabama enacts the Uniform Unsworn Foreign Declarations Act (UUFDA). The UUFDA permits a person living or traveling outside of the U.S. who must sign a sworn statement to make the statement under penalty of perjury without having to appear before a Notary or U.S. consular officer to take an oath or affirmation. This new law does not apply to certain sensitive documents, including depositions, recordable instruments, self-proving affidavits to a last will and testament, and certain durable powers of attorney.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Nevada
NV Senate Bill 77 - Senate Bill 77 enacts substantive amendments to Nevada law regulating Notaries who perform protests, how certain journal entries are recorded, security of the journal and seal, and allowing the Secretary of State to fingerprint commission applicants. The new law also imposes a maximum civil penalty of $2,000 on Notaries and the employers of Notaries for certain violations.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Alabama
AL Senate Bill 53 - Alabama enacts the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (UPOAA). If a power of attorney is presented for notarization, a Notary will need to know that a signer may sign the power of attorney or may direct another person to sign it for him or her. The Act doesn’t require a power of attorney to be notarized, but a court will presume the signature to be genuine if it is acknowledged before a Notary or an officer authorized to take acknowledgments.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Illinois
IL Senate Bill 62 - Senate Bill 62 clarifies that Notaries may take oaths of office, any other required oath, affidavits and depositions, not only in their respective counties, as the statute previously stated, but outside them as well.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Illinois
IL House Bill 350 - House Bill 350 allows a Notary to accept as satisfactory evidence an identification document issued by a consulate. Amended Section 5 ILCS 312/6-102 is effective until July 1, 2013.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - California
CA Assembly Bill 75 - Assembly Bill 75 prohibits the performance of proofs of execution on a power of attorney or any other document for which a journal thumbprint is required. It also updates the statutory proof of execution certificate. It limits the performance of protests to those Notaries employed by a financial institution and who perform protests during the course of their employment and removes the statutory fees for performing a protest.
LegislationJan 01, 2012 - Michigan
MI Senate Bill 252 - Senate Bill 252 institutes tougher criminal penalties for knowingly notarizing real property and mortgage transactions in violation of Michigan’s Notary Public Act.