The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation Tuesday containing an amendment allowing notaries to interact with the public electronically.
The bill now heads to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature.
If the bill becomes law, notaries would be able to certify or attest a document copy by using real-time communication, administer an oath or affirmation, witness or attest electronic signatures, and perform acknowledgments.
Notaries would be permitted to use remote technology, so long as they have personal knowledge of the individual’s identity, have evidence of an individual’s identity by oath or affirmation of a credible witness, or can identify the person using at least two different identity proofing processes or services.
Notaries notarize certain sales transactions such as real estate, powers of attorney and other legal matters, and documents for banks and credit unions.
“Giving notaries the ability to interact with the public in an electronic form not only supports social distancing but also will help many businesses continue their work,” Rep. Mark Keller (R-Perry/Cumberland), who introduced the bill, said. “This legislation would allow them to perform their duties using audio/video communication with the public.”
The House bill was amended into Senate Bill 841. The legislation also allows public entities, such as counties, municipalities, and municipal authorities, to utilize telecommunication services for meetings.