AL HB73

Reduces notary public commission terms from four years to two years, effective October 1, 2026

Requires all notary stamps to have permanently embedded information including the notary's full legal name, commission number, expiration date, and official title "Notary Public, State of Alabama"

Prohibits manual entry of name or commission expiration date on notary stamps

Mandates Secretary of State verification checks upon renewal to confirm notaries are in good legal standing, alive, and have no convictions for dishonesty or fraud

Establishes penalties including Class C misdemeanor for knowingly using a fraudulent notarial stamp in real estate transactions, and subjects notaries using unapproved or manually altered stamps to suspension, revocation, and civil penalties