Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3962, the SECURE Notarization Act, is a bipartisan bill that would authorize the nationwide use of remote, online notarizations, which is simply an electronic notarization where the party and notary are in different locations.

Society has widely adopted remote meetings, events, and even social activities. Requirements for a signer to be physically present before a notary are often impractical and sometimes impossible, such as with military deployments or travel restrictions.

Remote online notarization increases the use of notarization and allows individuals to conduct crucial business, particularly if both parties are unable to be physically present with a notary.

This bill would provide businesses and individuals with the ability to execute documents using two-way audiovisual communication, while protecting consumers with multifactor authentication and tamper-evident technology.

The bill would not replace State laws governing the authorization and regulation of notaries public, nor would this bill alter State control over the practice of law or commonly notarized legal papers, like estate documents.

It would simply provide for the recognition of remote notarization performed in interstate commerce, Federal courts, and would ensure the recognition of remote notarizations performed under another State's law.

This is similar to the Full Faith and Credit Clause and implementation statutes that ensure the recognition of official activities or judicial proceedings in another State.

Again, this has been said, but this bill has 123 cosponsors. It proceeded through regular order. It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee with a 56-0 vote. It also has the support of 20 organizations like the American Land Title Association, which utilizes notaries public on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean), my friend, for working so closely with our office and having a lot of fun as we moved the notary bill forward. If you think having fun on a notary bill is easy, Mr. Speaker, you have got to work at it, but we have had a lot of fun, and I appreciate it.

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