AR HB1479

Establishes the Arkansas Electronic Notary Public Act, creating a new category of notary public authorized to perform notarial acts on electronic documents using electronic means approved by the Secretary of State.

Requires traditional notaries in good standing to register with the Secretary of State, complete an approved training course, pass an examination (allowed up to 2 attempts in 12 months), and pay a $20 filing fee to become electronic notaries.

Electronic notaries must perform acts through approved solution providers, attach tamper-evident electronic signatures and seals to documents, and maintain sole control of security measures including passwords, tokens, biometrics, and identification numbers.

Requires electronic notaries to verify signers are physically present in person before the notary at time of notarization using the same identification methods as paper-based notarization; prohibits identification based solely on electronic signature familiarity.

Allows electronic notaries to charge reasonably established fees disclosed and agreed upon before the notarial act; violators face fines of not less than $100 per offense, with electronic notary liability matching traditional notary liability under existing law.