Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                             AN ACT

                                           ___________

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                    ______________________

To amend the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Act of 2018 to eliminate the requirement

      for a notary public to read and write in the language of any record on which the notary

      public performs a notarial act, require notarial officers to read or understand the language

      in which the notarial certificate is written, clarify that a notary may refuse to perform a

      notarial act if they cannot read or understand the language of the document being

      notarized or may require the signer to provide an official translation, and clarify that the

      training course for notary applicants must be approved but not provided by the Mayor.

       BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

act may be cited as the “Notarial Acts Clarification Amendment Act of 2024”.

         Sec. 2. The Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Act of 2018, effective December 4,

2018 (D.C. Law 22-189; D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.01 et seq.), is amended as follows:

         (a) Section 4(b) (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.03(b)) is amended as follows:

                 (1) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase “; or” and inserting semicolon

in its place.

                 (2) Paragraph (3) is amended by striking the period and inserting the phrase “; or”

in its place.

                 (3) A new paragraph (4) to read as follows:

                 “(4) The notarial officer does not read or understand the language in which the

certificate of notarial act is written.”.

         (b) Section 8 (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.07) is amended by adding new paragraphs (a-

1) and (a-2) to read as follows:

         “(a-1) A notarial officer may refuse to perform a notarial act if the officer does not read

or understand the language of the document being notarized.

         “(a-2) A notarial officer may require a signer to provide a certified translation of the

document being notarized.”.

         (c) Section 20(d)(4) (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.19(d)(4)) is repealed.

         (d) Section 21(c) (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.20(c)) is amended by striking the phrase

“provided by the Mayor” and inserting the phrase “approved by the Mayor” in its place.

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       (e) Section 22(b) (D.C. Official Code § 1-1231.21(b)) is amended by striking the phrase

“notary publics and applicants for endorsement as electronic notaries” and inserting the phrase

“notary publics” in its place.

       Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.

       The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal

impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,

approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).

       Sec. 4. Effective date.

       This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the

Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review

as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December

24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)).

              ______________________________

              Chairman

              Council of the District of Columbia

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Mayor

District of Columbia

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