LegislationJan 01, 2010 - Oregon
OR House Bill 2090 - In an effort to correct recent abuses of transactions involving Notary protests, House Bill 2090 limits performance of the notarial act of protest to certain Notaries an authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse to issue a commission or revoke or suspend the commission of any Notary who performs a protest while not authorized to do so.
Rule/Regulation
Jan 01, 2010 - Texas
TX Administrative Rule (2010) - The Texas Secretary of State adopts a number of general and specific changes to its administrative rules for Notaries.
Executive OrderNov 19, 2009 - Rhode Island
RI Executive Order 09-25 - Amendments to the Standards of Conduct for Notaries Public in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations effective November 18, 2009, include clarifications that a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly need not use an official seal when notarizing documents during open session on the floor of the Assembly, that a Rhode Island attorney need not keep an journal of notarial acts, that the Standards of Conduct do not impair or infringe upon the attorney-client privilege or attorney work product doctrine and that the certificates for notarial acts in the Standards are not intended to replace or supercede the existing forms used for the conveyance of real estate or in other legal documents, particularly those certificates approved by any committee of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
LegislationOct 11, 2009 - California
CA Senate Bill 94 - Reacting to what has become a very troubling development in the mortgage finance and real estate industry, Senate Bill 94 prohibits any person, including a real estate licensee or attorney from offering or negotiating foreclosure rescue or loan modification services from charging an advance fee before performing all services provided in the contract for services and requires a specific written notification be included in the contract for such services so homeowners can know that the services of these intermediaries are not required. This new law should signal a warning to California Notaries and Signing Agents not to accept offers for assignments from firms who engage in these unscrupulous practices.
LegislationOct 01, 2009 - Montana
MT Senate Bill 299 - Senate Bill 299 establishes both a journal and an education requirement for Montana Notaries. It requires that all first-time applicants for a Notary commission, and all existing Notaries seeking reappointment against whom a complaint has been filed or evidence of improperly notarized documents has been submitted to the Secretary of State, take a training course. The new law also requires use of an inking seal alone as the official seal. It shortens the residency requirement for commission applicants from 1 year to 30 days.
LegislationOct 01, 2009 - Connecticut
CT House Bill 6802 - HB 6802 raises the Notary commission application fee to $120, the fee for reporting a change of address or name to $15 and the fee for filing a corrected Notary commission issued in a new name with the town clerk to $15.
LegislationSep 28, 2009 - Oregon
OR House Bill 3405 - House Bill 3405 raises the commissioning fee for Oregon Notary commissions from $20 to $40.
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.