WA House Bill 1889

Legislation

State: Washington
Signed: March 13, 2024

Effective: July 01, 2024
Chapter: 50

Summary

House Bill 1889 strikes the prior requirement that to qualify for a Notary commission, an applicant must be a United States citizen.

Affects

Amends Section 42.45.200 of the Revised Code of Washington.

Changes

Strikes the requirement that an applicant for a Notary commission must be a citizen or a permanent legal resident of the U.S.
Clarifies that an applicant for a Notary commission must not be disqualified to receive a commission under RCW 42.45.210.

Analysis

In Washington state, some professions require an applicant to be a United States citizen to be licensed. These include optometrists, Notaries, private investigators, private security guards, bail bond agents, money transmitters, and currency exchangers. For these professions, the requirement to be a U.S. citizen is removed by House Bill 1889.

The new law also clarifies that an applicant must not be disqualified to receive a commission for any of the grounds cited in RCW 42.45.210. This is a standard provision of the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA) adopted by the Uniform Law Commission, upon which the Washington statute is based, that must have been overlooked when enacting the RULONA in 2017.

Read House Bill 1889.