96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB3550

 

Introduced 2/10/2010, by Sen. Mattie Hunter

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 312/3-105   from Ch. 102, par. 203-105
5 ILCS 312/6-101   from Ch. 102, par. 206-101
5 ILCS 312/6-102   from Ch. 102, par. 206-102
5 ILCS 312/7-108   from Ch. 102, par. 207-108

    Amends the Illinois Notary Public Act. Removes the notary public's personal knowledge of an individual as a means of verifying the individual's identity. Defines a "credible witness". Authorizes the Secretary of State to suspend a notary public's commission pending criminal investigation of alleged fraud by the notary or pending administrative review of the notary's suspected violations of the Act or suspected actions in bad faith. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Notary Public Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 3-105, 6-101, 6-102, and 7-108 as follows:
 
6     (5 ILCS 312/3-105)  (from Ch. 102, par. 203-105)
7     Sec. 3-105. Authority. A notary public shall have authority
8 to perform notarial acts throughout the State so long as the
9 notary resides in the same county in which the notary was
10 commissioned or, if the notary is a resident of a state
11 bordering Illinois, so long as the notary's principal place of
12 work or principal place of business is in the same county in
13 Illinois in which the notary was commissioned. Such authority
14 shall remain in effect for the duration of the notary
15 commission unless such commission is suspended or revoked in
16 accordance with Section 7-108.
17 (Source: P.A. 91-818, eff. 6-13-00.)
 
18     (5 ILCS 312/6-101)  (from Ch. 102, par. 206-101)
19     Sec. 6-101. Definitions. (a) "Notarial act" means any act
20 that a notary public of this State is authorized to perform and
21 includes taking an acknowledgment, administering an oath or
22 affirmation, taking a verification upon oath or affirmation,

 

 

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1 and witnessing or attesting a signature.
2     (b) "Acknowledgment" means a declaration by a person that
3 the person has executed an instrument for the purposes stated
4 therein and, if the instrument is executed in a representative
5 capacity, that the person signed the instrument with proper
6 authority and executed it as the act of the person or entity
7 represented and identified therein.
8     (c) "Verification upon oath or affirmation" means a
9 declaration that a statement is true made by a person upon oath
10 or affirmation.
11     (d) "In a representative capacity" means:
12     (1) for and on behalf of a corporation, partnership, trust,
13 or other entity, as an authorized officer, agent, partner,
14 trustee, or other representative;
15     (2) as a public officer, personal representative,
16 guardian, or other representative, in the capacity recited in
17 the instrument;
18     (3) as an attorney in fact for a principal; or
19     (4) in any other capacity as an authorized representative
20 of another.
21     (e) "Credible witness" means an honest, reliable, and
22 impartial person who personally knows the individual appearing
23 before a notary and takes an oath or affirmation from the
24 notary to vouch for that individual's identity.
25 (Source: P.A. 84-322.)
 

 

 

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1     (5 ILCS 312/6-102)  (from Ch. 102, par. 206-102)
2     Sec. 6-102. Notarial Acts.
3     (a) In taking an acknowledgment, the notary public must
4 determine, either from personal knowledge or from satisfactory
5 evidence, that the person appearing before the notary and
6 making the acknowledgment is the person whose true signature is
7 on the instrument.
8     (b) In taking a verification upon oath or affirmation, the
9 notary public must determine, either from personal knowledge or
10 from satisfactory evidence, that the person appearing before
11 the notary and making the verification is the person whose true
12 signature is on the statement verified.
13     (c) In witnessing or attesting a signature, the notary
14 public must determine, either from personal knowledge or from
15 satisfactory evidence, that the signature is that of the person
16 appearing before the notary and named therein.
17     (d) A notary public has satisfactory evidence that a person
18 is the person whose true signature is on a document if that
19 person:
20         (1) (blank) is personally known to the notary;
21         (2) is identified upon the oath or affirmation of a
22     credible witness who is identified on the basis of
23     identification documents as defined in this Section and who
24     is personally known to the notary; or
25         (3) is identified on the basis of identification
26     documents. Identification Until July 1, 2013,

 

 

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1     identification documents are documents that are valid at
2     the time of the notarial act, issued by a state or federal
3     government agency, and bearing the photographic image of
4     the individual's face and signature of the individual.
5 (Source: P.A. 95-988, eff. 6-1-09.)
 
6     (5 ILCS 312/7-108)  (from Ch. 102, par. 207-108)
7     Sec. 7-108. Suspension or revocation of commission
8 Revocation of Commission.
9     (a) The Secretary of State may suspend the commission of
10 any notary public who, during the current term of appointment:
11         (1) is the subject of a criminal investigation into
12     allegations of fraud; the suspension shall commence upon
13     receipt of official written notice from a law enforcement
14     agency by the Secretary of a pending fraud investigation
15     against the notary and shall continue until receipt of
16     official written notice from that law enforcement agency
17     that the investigation has been concluded and that no
18     further action will be taken or until adjudication by a
19     court of competent jurisdiction of criminal charges
20     against the notary in the notary's favor; or
21         (2) has, in the reasonable belief of the Secretary, (i)
22     violated one or more provisions of this Act, (ii) acted in
23     bad faith, or (iii) violated one or more provisions of this
24     Act and acted in bad faith; the suspension shall continue
25     pending administrative review.

 

 

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1     (b) The Secretary of State may revoke the commission of any
2 notary public who, during the current term of appointment:
3         (1) (a) submits an application for commission and
4     appointment as a notary public which contains substantial
5     and material misstatement or omission of fact; or
6         (2) (b) is convicted of any felony or official
7     misconduct under this Act; or .
8         (3) is found upon administrative review to (i) have
9     violated this Act, (ii) have acted in bad faith, or (iii)
10     have violated this Act and acted in bad faith.
11 (Source: P.A. 84-322.)
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.