LegislationSep 16, 2009 - Maine
ME House Paper 286 - House Paper 286 clarifies that Notaries must take the oath of office before a dedimus justice and provides the form for the official oath. The new law also requires Notaries to sign all official acts by hand in the official commission name. Finally, HB 286 no longer requires the Secretary of State to investigate complaints concerning improper notarizations by Notaries or cause complaints to be investigated. Instead, it transfers this responsibility to the Notary Public Review Board established in 2007.
LegislationSep 01, 2009 - Texas
TX House Bill 3186 - House Bill 3186 states that a biometric identifier (which would include a journal thumbprint according to the Secretary of State’s interpretation) captured for a commercial purpose may be disclosed only under certain circumstances and must destroyed within a certain amount of time. Thus, the NNA now counsels Texas members that they should not capture thumbprints in their journals.
LegislationSep 01, 2009 - Texas
TX House Bill 2585 - House Bill 2585 permits an advance medical directive (AMD), including do-not-resuscitate orders and medical powers of attorney, to be signed and notarized using a digital or electronic signature as defined by the new law. The new law also permits AMDs to be executed by the declarant before two witnesses or a Notary.
LegislationSep 01, 2009 - Texas
TX Senate Bill 2073 - Senate Bill 2073 makes a technical clarification of judicial actions which may not be used to reject an application for a Notary commission or to suspend or revoke the commission of a Notary.
LegislationSep 01, 2009 - Texas
TX House Bill 652 - HB 652 permits escrow agents who are residents of a state adjacent to Texas and who are attorneys or employees of an attorney licensed as an escrow officer, a title insurance agent or direct operation with an office in Texas to become Notaries Public.
LegislationAug 15, 2009 - Louisiana
LA Senate Bill 151 - Senate Bill 151 directs the Secretary of State to develop a program requiring providers of educational courses for preparing a person to take the mandatory Louisiana Notary examination to register and report their activities and post a $25,000 bond annually. The law institutes tough fines for providers who fail to comply with the new requirements and permits the Secretary of State to promulgate rules for this new program.
LegislationAug 15, 2009 - North Dakota
ND House Bill 1168 - Originally enacted in 2003, House Bill 1168 set an effective date of August 1, 2009, for transition to a new seal requirement by all Notaries, who must now use seals that are “designed to leave a clear impression” and photographically reproducible, and may not use a metal embosser as an official seal.
LegislationAug 11, 2009 - Illinois
IL Senate Bill 1549 - While the Illinois Notary Public Act previously recognized that the Notarial Record created for each conveyance of residential real property in Cook County, Illinois was exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, SB 1549 formally place the Notarial Record within the list of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act itself.
LegislationAug 07, 2009 - Arkansas
AR House Bill 2231 - House Bill 2231 clarifies that the issuer of the Notary’s $7,500 surety bond or contract shall not be liable for more than the amount of the Notary’s surety bond or contract and that the surety’s obligation is to and for the benefit of the state of Arkansas.
LegislationAug 01, 2009 - North Dakota
ND Senate Bill 2322 - Senate Bill 2322 prohibits a Notary from notarizing any signature without positively identifying the signer. It also prohibits a Notary from notarizing a petition filed as a prerequisite to the calling of an election or for the performance or prohibition of any act under Section 1-01-50 of the North Dakota Century Code if the petition contains the Notary’s or the Notary’s spouse’s signature. SB 2322 authorizes the Secretary of State to deny, revoke or suspend the commission of a Notary for violating any provision of Chapter 44-06 (“Notaries Public”) of the North Dakota Century Code and to adopt rules governing the signing and submission of electronic documents with a state agency.