HB 2265 Summary

• Applicants for new notary commissions must pass an examination administered by the Secretary of State or an approved entity, based on a course of study covering laws, rules, procedures, and ethics relevant to notarial acts.

• Notaries public must maintain a journal (except for notarial acts performed for established business relationships) recording all notarial acts, including date, time, record description, type of act, individual names and addresses, method of identification, and fees charged.

• Journals must be retained for 10 years after the last notarial act recorded and can be maintained on tangible medium (permanent bound register with numbered pages) or in electronic format (permanent, tamper-evident format complying with Secretary of State rules).

• Notaries must promptly notify the Secretary of State if their journal is lost or stolen, and upon resignation or revocation of commission must retain the journal and inform the Secretary of State of its location.

• Current or former notaries may transmit journals to the Secretary of State or an approved repository instead of retaining them; on a notary's death or incompetency, personal representatives or guardians must transmit the journal to the Secretary of State or approved repository.

• Effective date: November 1, 2025.