Notary Amendments

New notaries commissioned on or after May 6, 2026, must maintain secure electronic journals for remote notarizations, whereas previous rules were less specific about electronic records for new commissions.

Notaries employed by attorneys or title agencies are now explicitly exempt from keeping separate journals for acts performed in the course of their employment, and these records are protected from disclosure by the lieutenant governor.

The rules for using 'credible witnesses' to verify identity were expanded and clarified to include specific procedures for administering oaths and recording witness details.

Journal retention requirements were standardized to ten years for all notaries, with specific instructions on how to securely destroy electronic records to ensure data irretrievability.

The definition of 'unlawful interference' was updated to explicitly exclude authorized technical support personnel, clarifying that maintenance or repair staff do not commit crimes by accessing notary equipment.

Exemptions from keeping a notary journal were expanded to include notaries employed by title agencies, in addition to attorneys and law firms.

New definitions were added for 'Electronic journal' and 'Electronic recording of a remote notarization' to clarify digital record-keeping requirements.

Requirements for 'satisfactory evidence of identity' were updated to specify that identification documents must be 'unexpired' and to include federally-recognized tribal governments as valid issuers.

Journal content requirements for new notaries (post-May 2026) now require recording the last four digits of identification numbers and specific details for credible witnesses.

Criminal penalties for interfering with a notary were revised to use gender-neutral language (changing 'A person' to 'An actor') and to clarify notification procedures.

The bill establishes May 6, 2026, as the effective date for new journal requirements, applying only to notaries receiving commissions on or after that date.

Minor technical corrections were made to section numbering and text formatting throughout the bill.