Notaries public; commission term decreased; notary seals to have embedded identifying information; penalties for violations

HB 73, the Notary Integrity and Property Protection Act of 2025, shortens Alabama notaries' commission terms from four to two years and requires all notary stamps to permanently embed the notary's full name, commission number, expiration date, and title "Notary Public, State of Alabama." This directly affects current and future Alabama notaries public, who must now use compliant stamps with embedded information instead of manually altering them. The bill adds penalties for using unapproved, altered, or fraudulent stamps, including suspension or revocation of commission and civil penalties. These changes aim to enhance document authenticity and prevent fraud in real estate and other transactions requiring notarization.