Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB2265 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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3		-	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2265 Page 1 1
	3	+	HB2265 HFLR Page 1
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28		-	ENGROSSED HOUSE
29		-	BILL NO. 2265 By: Miller of the House
	29	+	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
	30	+
	31	+	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
	32	+
	33	+	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
	34	+
	35	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
	36	+	FOR
	37	+	HOUSE BILL NO. 2265 By: Miller of the House
30	38
31	39		and
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33	41		Alvord of the Senate
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	45	+
	46	+
	47	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
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38	49		An Act relating to notaries public; amending 49 O.S.
39	50		2021, Section 1, which relates to appointment of
40	51		notaries public; adding examination requirement;
41	52		updating outline; requiring examination to become a
42	53		notary public; providing course of study; requiring
43	54		maintenance of certain journal; prescribing journal
44	55		criteria; requiring certain notice; requiring
45	56		retention of journal; providing for transmitting
46	57		journal to Secretary of State; providing for
47	58		codification; and providing a n effective date.
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54	65		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
55	66		SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 49 O.S. 2021, Section 1, is
56	67		amended to read as follows:
57	68		Section 1. A. The Secretary of State shall appoint and
58	69		commission in this state notaries public, who shall hold th eir
59	70		office for four (4) years.
60		-	B. An applicant for a new notary commission shall be eighteen
61		-	(18) years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, and
62		-	employed within this state or a legal resident of this state , and
63		-	shall have passed the examination required in Section 2 of this act .
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65		-	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2265 Page 2 1
	72	+	HB2265 HFLR Page 2
	73	+	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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	98	+	B. An applicant for a new notary commission shall be eighteen
	99	+	(18) years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, and
	100	+	employed within this state or a legal resident of this state, and
	101	+	shall have passed the examinatio n required in Section 2 of this act .
90	102		A felony conviction shall be grounds for removal of a person from
91	103		the office of notary public.
92	104		C. All notary commissions shall run in the name and by the
93	105		authority of the State of Oklahoma, be signed by the Secretary of
94	106		State, and sealed with the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma.
95	107		Commissions shall not be attested.
96	108		D. Any person filing an application for a new notary commission
97	109		shall pay Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) to the Secretary of State
98	110		with the application. Any person filing an application for a
99	111		renewal of a notary commission shall pay Twenty Dollars ($20.00) to
100	112		the Secretary of State with the application. Any person requiring
101	113		"same day filing service" shall pay Twenty -five Dollars ($25.00) to
102	114		the Secretary of State in addition to the applicable filing fee.
103	115		These funds shall be deposited in the Revolving Fund created for the
104	116		Secretary of State pursuant to the provisions of Section 276.1 of
105	117		Title 62 of the Okla homa Statutes.
106	118		SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
107	119		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1.2 of Title 49, unless there is
108	120		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
109		-	A. An applicant for a new notary commission must pass an
110		-	examination administered by the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of
111		-	State or an entity approved by the Secretary of State. The
112		-	examination must be based on the course of study described in
113		-	subsection B of this section.
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115		-	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2265 Page 3 1
	122	+	HB2265 HFLR Page 3
	123	+	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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	148	+	A. An applicant for a new notary commission must pass an
	149	+	examination administered by th e Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of
	150	+	State or an entity approved by the Secretary of State. The
	151	+	examination must be based on the course of study described in
	152	+	subsection B of this section.
140	153		B. The Secretary of State or an entity approved by the
141	154		Secretary of State shall offer regularly a course of study to
142	155		applicants who do not hold a notary commission in this state. The
143	156		course must cover the laws, rules, procedures, and ethics relevant
144	157		to notarial acts.
145	158		SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new sec tion of law to be codified
146	159		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 13 of Title 49, unless there is
147	160		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
148	161		A. Except for the notarial acts performed for an establis hed
149	162		business relationship during the ordinary cou rse of business, a
150	163		notary public shall maintain a journal in which the notary public
151	164		records all notarial acts that the notary public performs. The
152	165		notary public shall retain the journal for ten (10) years after the
153	166		performance of the last notarial act re corded in the journal.
154	167		B. A journal may be created on a tangible medium or in an
155	168		electronic format. A notary public shall maintain only one journal
156	169		at a time to chronicle all notarial acts, whether those n otarial
157	170		acts are performed regarding tangible or electronic records. If the
158	171		journal is maintained on a tangible medium, it must be a permanent,
159		-	bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintain ed in
160		-	an electronic format, it must be in a permanent, tamper -evident
161		-	electronic format complying with the rules of the Secretary of
162		-	State.
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164		-	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2265 Page 4 1
	173	+	HB2265 HFLR Page 4
	174	+	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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	199	+	bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintained in
	200	+	an electronic format, it must be in a permanent, tamper -evident
	201	+	electronic format complying with the rules of the Secretary of
	202	+	State.
189	203		C. An entry in a journal must be made contemporaneously with
190	204		performance of the notarial act and contain the following
191	205		information:
192	206		1. The date and time of the no tarial act;
193	207		2. A description of the record, if a ny, and type of notarial
194	208		act;
195	209		3. The full name and address of each individual for whom the
196	210		notarial act is performed;
197	211		4. If identity of the individual is based on personal
198	212		knowledge, a statement to that effect;
199	213		5. If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory
200	214		evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and
201	215		the identification credential presented, if any, including the date
202	216		of issuance and expiration of any identification credenti al; and
203	217		6. The fee, if any, charged by the notar y public.
204	218		D. If a notary public's journal is lost or stolen, the notary
205	219		public shall promptly notify the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of
206	220		State on discovering that the journal is lost or stolen.
207	221		E. On resignation from, or the revocation or suspension of, a
208	222		notary public's commission, the notary public shall retain the
209		-	notary public's journal in accordance with subsection A of this
210		-	section and inform the Off ice of the Secretary of State where the
211		-	journal is located.
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213		-	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2265 Page 5 1
	224	+	HB2265 HFLR Page 5
	225	+	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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	250	+	notary public's journal in accordance with subsection A of this
	251	+	section and inform the Office of the Secretary of State where the
	252	+	journal is located.
238	253		F. Instead of retaining a journal as provided in subsections A
239	254		and E of this section, a current or former notary public may
240	255		transmit the journal to the Office of the Secretary of State or a
241	256		repository approved by the Secretary of State.
242	257		G. On the death or adjudication of incompetency of a c urrent or
243	258		former notary public, the notary public's personal representative or
244	259		guardian or any other person knowingly in possession of the journal
245	260		shall transmit it to the Office of the Secretary of State or a
246	261		repository approved by the Secretary of State.
247	262		SECTION 4. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
248		-	Passed the House of Representatives the 26th day of March, 2025.
	263	+
	264	+	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT, dated
	265	+	03/03/2025 – DO PASS, As Amended.
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251		-
252		-
253		-	Presiding Officer of the House
254		-	of Representatives
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258		-	Passed the Senate the _____ day of __________, 2025.
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263		-	Presiding Officer of the Senate