§ 35:701 — Purpose; ratification

§701. Purpose; ratification
A. The legislature finds that the COVID-19 public health emergency created a
statewide emergency disrupting the ability of notaries public to be in the physical presence
of persons whose signatures the notary public was authenticating. This Chapter is enacted
for the benefit and protection of the state as a whole and its citizens, to prevent injustice,
inequity, undue hardship, and disruption of transactions to persons relying on the
authentication of signatures of persons not in the physical presence of a notary public by a
notary public who authenticated the signature through electronic means using audio-video
communication. Therefore, this Chapter shall be liberally construed to effect its purposes.
B. The action of the governor of this state in issuing Section 6 of Proclamation
Number 37 JBE 2020 and Part C of Section 5 of Proclamation Number 41 JBE 2020 is
hereby approved, ratified, and confirmed subject to the provisions of this Chapter.
NOTE: See Acts 2020, No. 131, §3, regarding retroactive application of the Act.

Legislative History

Acts 2020, No. 131, §1, eff. June 9, 2020.