HB 2265: Notaries public; appointment; adding examination requirement; journal criteria; providing for transmitting journal to Secretary of State; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a House Committee Substitute version to the Floor version, with minor formatting adjustments to the header and page numbering. The substantive legislative content regarding notary public requirements, examination mandates, journal maintenance, and fees remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Header text was updated from 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION' to replace the previous committee substitute header, and page footers were updated to reflect 'HB2265 HFLR' instead of 'Req. No. 13026'.

Line numbers were renumbered throughout the document to reflect the new floor version formatting.

Page 1 footer was changed from 'Req. No. 13026' to 'HB2265 HFLR' with an added note that bold face denotes committee amendments.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to update its title, page numbers, and request numbers to reflect the House Committee Substitute version. The substantive content regarding notary public journal requirements remains largely the same, though some text reorganization occurred. This appears to be primarily a technical amendment to align the document with committee processing standards rather than a substantive policy change.

TECHNICAL

Title changed from 'PROPOSED POLICY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to reflect the legislative process stage

Request number updated from 12242 to 13026 throughout the document

Date updated from 01/23/25 to 02/27/25 in the footer

Minor text reorganization in journal requirements section, but substantive requirements for notary journals remain unchanged

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the entire text with a new version that adds an examination requirement for notary public applicants and updates related provisions. This changes the process for becoming a notary by requiring candidates to pass a test based on a prescribed course of study.

Scope change

The bill now requires all new notary public applicants to pass an examination administered by the Secretary of State or an approved entity before receiving a commission.

REQUIREMENT

Added examination requirement for new notary public applicants who must pass a test based on a prescribed course of study covering laws, rules, procedures, and ethics relevant to notarial acts.

Added requirement that the Secretary of State or approved entity must offer a regular course of study for applicants who do not currently hold a notary commission.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified eligibility criteria by adding the requirement that applicants must pass the examination before being appointed as notaries public.

TECHNICAL

Updated document headers and formatting to reflect the proposed policy committee substitute version with new page numbering and committee amendment markings.

Introduced → Engrossed · 8 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill significantly reformulates Oklahoma's notary public requirements by adding an examination mandate, establishing a course of study, creating journal retention rules, and updating fees. The changes shift from a simple appointment process to a more rigorous qualification system with ongoing compliance requirements.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of notary regulation from basic appointment procedures to include examination requirements, mandatory journal keeping, and specific retention periods.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory examination requirement for all new notary commission applicants

Established course of study covering laws, rules, procedures, and ethics relevant to notarial acts

Required notaries to maintain a journal for all notarial acts except those for established business relationships

Extended journal retention period to 10 years after last recorded notarial act

Added requirement to transmit journal to Secretary of State upon resignation, revocation, suspension, death, or adjudication of incompetency

FISCAL

Updated filing fees to $25 for new commissions, $20 for renewals, with $25 additional for same-day service

ENFORCEMENT

Added felony conviction as grounds for removal from notary office

TECHNICAL

Changed bill title from 'Notaries Public Reform Act of 2025' to descriptive language about examination requirements and journal maintenance

Notaries public; appointment; adding examination requirement; journal criteria; providing for transmitting journal to Secretary of State; effective date.

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