PRINTER'S NO. 2862
No. 2193 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY CLYMER, BARRAR, COLAFELLA, COSTA, CURRY, DALLY,
DeWEESE, FARGO, FICHTER, HALUSKA, HENNESSEY, MELIO,
R. MILLER, MUNDY, PIPPY, RAMOS, RUBLEY, SATHER, SHANER,
B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, J. TAYLOR, TIGUE,
TRELLO, WILLIAMS, WILT, YOUNGBLOOD AND ZIMMERMAN,
JANUARY 25, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 25, 2000
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of August 21, 1953 (P.L.1323, No.373), entitled
2 "An act concerning notaries public; and amending, revising,
3 consolidating and changing the law relating thereto,"
4 providing for identification of persons who sign instruments;
5 and further providing for the register of official acts.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. The act of August 21, 1953 (P.L.1323, No.373),
9 known as The Notary Public Law, is amended by adding a section
10 to read:
11 Section 12.1. Identification of Signers.--The officer
12 notarizing the instrument shall know through personal knowledge
13 or have satisfactory evidence that the person appearing before
14 the notary is the person described in and who executed the
15 instrument. For the purposes of this act and section 5 of the
16 act of July 24, 1941 (P.L.490, No.188), known as the "Uniform
17 Acknowledgment Act," "personal knowledge" means having an
1 acquaintance, derived from association with the individual in
2 relation to other people and based upon a chain of circumstances
3 surrounding the individual, which establishes the individual's
4 identity and "satisfactory evidence" means the reliance on the
5 presentation of a current, government-issued identification card
6 bearing a photograph, signature, physical description and serial
7 or identification number or the oath or affirmation of a
8 credible witness who is personally known to the notary and who
9 personally knows the individual.
10 Section 2. Section 15(a) of the act is amended to read:
11 Section 15. Register; Copies of Records.--(a) Every notary
12 public shall keep an accurate register of all official acts by
13 him done by virtue of his office, and shall, when thereunto
14 required, give a certified copy of any record in his office to
15 any person applying for same. Said register shall contain the
16 date of the act, the character of the act, [and] the date and
17 parties to the instrument, [and] the signature of each person
18 whose signature is notarized and of each witness, a statement
19 detailing how each signer was identified, the amount of fee
20 collected for the service and the right thumbprint of the party
21 signing that instrument.
22 * * *
23 Section 3. This act shall apply to official acts performed
24 on or after the effective date of this act.
25 Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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