Previous Story
Notary Act finally updated with amendments
|
Posted on Jan 19 2005
Acting Gov. Diego T. Benavente signed House Bill No. 14-135 into law yesterday. The new law, Public Law 14-52, amends both the Notary Act and the Consumer Protection Act.
The Notary Public Act was originally enacted during the Trust Territory period and this is the first time it has been amended.
Attorney general Pamela Brown, who supported passage of P.L. 14-52, said the change was long overdue, as many of the provisions were out of date with the current needs of the Commonwealth.
For example, she cited that P.L. 14-52 raised the fees notaries could legally charge from as little as $0.25 to $2.
“The fees had not changed since the Trust Territory and were insufficient to cover the costs to be a notary. Now the fees reflect the cost of doing business.”
P.L. 14-52 also improves the enforcement power of the AGO. If notaries are found to charge more than P.L. 14-52 allows, for instance, the AGO plans to fine them and force them to repay their customers. The AGO now has the option to bring such a proceeding as a civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement action. It also has the choice to bring an action regarding a violation of the Notary Act as a Consumer Protection violation.
“Previously it was difficult to bring enforcement actions and force notaries to repay their customers. P.L. 14-52 will make it easier for our office to do both because it provides us with more options. Being able to bring more enforcement actions administratively will also help enforcement,” Brown said.
