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RI House Bill 5460/Senate Bill 625

Legislation

State: Rhode Island
Signed: June 24, 2025

Effective: June 24, 2025
Chapter: 165

Summary

House Bill 5460/Senate Bill 625 recognizes notarial acts performed by certain officers of the Space Force, a component part of the armed forces of the United States.

Affects

Amends Sections 34-12-5 and 34-12-9 of the Rhode Island General Laws.

Changes
  1. Recognizes that commissioned officers in active service in the Space Force with the equivalent rank of second lieutenant or higher in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, or with the rank of ensign or higher in the Navy or Coast Guard may perform notarial acts inside or outside the United States for service members and their lawful dependents.
  2. Provides that a document conveying real estate, directly or indirectly, and acknowledged before April 27, 1928, outside the U.S. by a foreign Notary Public — and properly recorded in Rhode Island — will be considered valid and have the same effect as if performed by a Rhode Island Notary if the foreign Notary’s authority was officially certified by an active U.S. military officer in the Space Force with the equivalent rank of second lieutenant or higher in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, or with the rank of ensign or higher in the Navy or Coast Guard.
Analysis

House Bill 5460/Senate Bill 625 adds the U.S. Space Force to many sections of the Rhode Island General Law that list military branches. The Space Force, the newest of the six armed forces of the United States, was established on December 20, 2019. The Force is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and provide space capabilities to the joint force. The Space Force is part of the Air Force. House Bill 5460 amends two recognition statutes in the Rhode Island General Laws. The first recognizes notarial acts performed both within and outside the United States by certain active service commissioned officers of the Space Force. The second, which likely has very little utility, legally validates certain acknowledgments performed by foreign Notaries on real property conveyances acknowledged before April 27, 1928, if the foreign Notary’s authority is officially certified by a commissioned officer in active service for the Space Force.

Read House Bill 5460.

Read Senate Bill 625.

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