Please work to stop Texas from allowing televised notarial acts. This law may hurt notaries nation-wide.
American Association of Notaries - May 14, 2017
Urgent Message: Action Required–a Texas notary bill (HB 1217) that will legalize notarization via audio/video is scheduled to be heard in Austin, Texas on today Monday May, 15, 2017.
We urge all our Texas members to contact the State Affairs committee members to voice your concerns about this bill and to urge them to vote “NO.”
Monday, May 15th is the only chance notaries in Texas have to stop this bill from becoming a law.
Why Texas notaries should oppose this bill:
1.This bill will eliminate the requirement for the signer to be physically present in front of the notary. With the use of audio/video notarization technology, elderly signers may be coerced to sign Wills and Powers of Attorney by criminally-minded family members or health care providers, since the notary on the other side of the camera is not aware of the surroundings.
2.The use of webcam notarization will compromise notarial acts. The presence of the principal in person before the notary is essential, not just to verify identity, but also to verify the principal’s mental capacity to make decisions, and to verify that the principal is acting in according to his or her own free will and is not being coerced by another party. It is difficult to verify capacity and free will via video and audio conference technology.
3.This bill may eliminate the need for the services of tens of thousands of Texas notaries, mobile notaries, and signing agents. Texas notaries may be replaced with a few high-tech webcam notarization companies in the near future.
4.Texas notaries will not be able to compete with technology companies. It costs several hundred thousands dollars to develop an application to perform this type of online audio/video technology.
5.Texas law firms may lose business to national online companies who may be able to draft and notarize Powers of Attorney and Wills over the internet using audio/video technology.
6.States nationwide refused to adopt similar laws in 2017 legislation sessions.
Please FAX, CALL, AND EMAIL the State Affairs committee members listed below before 9:00 a.m. Monday morning and state the above reasons why you oppose this bill. If the Audio/Video notarization bill passes the change will be permanent! Please take action now.
Senator Joan Huffman TEL (512) 463-0117 Fax 1-512-463-0639
Senator Bryan Hughes TEL (512) 463-0101 Fax 1-512-475-3751
Senator Brandon Creighton TEL (512) 463-0104 Fax 1-512-463-6373
Senator Craig Estes TEL (512) 463-0130 Fax 1-512-463-8874
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. TEL (512) 463-0127 Fax 1-512-463-0061
Senator Jane Nelson TEL (512) 463-0112 Fax 1-512-463-0923
Senator Charles Schwertner TEL (512) 463-0105 Fax 1-512-463-5713
Senator Judith Zaffirini TEL (512) 463-0121 Fax 1-512-475-373
Senator Brian Birdwell TEL (512) 463-0122 Fax 1-512-475-3729
Thank you.
Kal Tabbara, President
American Association of Notaries