AnalysisEarlier in 2017, House Bill 49 enacted online electronic notarization provisions as part of a broader appropriations bill. The introduction of these provisions into the budget bill came late in the legislative process and took many by surprise, including a group of stakeholders and legislators that were busy working on their own Notary reform bill. When the budget bill became law, an effort began to repeal the new law in a clean-up bill. This bill, HB 31, was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. Now, all eyes will be looking forward to the larger legislation that in addition to basic Notary law reforms may contain online electronic notarization provisions as well. While HB 31 repealed the online electronic notarization provisions in HB 49, it did not repeal the other section of HB requiring Notaries to be mandated reporters of adult abuse. The mandated reporter provision takes effect in September 2018.
Read House Bill 31.