SB 997 Summary

• Adds identification cards issued by federally recognized tribal governments to the list of acceptable documents for notary acknowledgments.

• Requires notary officers to have "satisfactory evidence" that a person making an acknowledgment is the individual described in the instrument before proceeding.

• Establishes a civil penalty not exceeding $10,000 for notaries who violate satisfactory evidence requirements, enforceable by the Secretary of State or public prosecutors.

• Accepts identification documents that are current or issued within 5 years, including driver's licenses, passports, state identification cards, and military identification cards.

• Contains a conditional provision that Section 1.5 becomes operative only if both SB 997 and AB 2566 are enacted and effective by January 1, 2017, and SB 997 is enacted after AB 2566.