Senate Bill No. by Senator Abraham amends and reenacts R.S. 35:623(D) and enacts R.S. 35:623(E) to allow for the acknowledgment of certain acts via simultaneous audiovisual transmission before a notary public and two witnesses. The bill specifies that any act, transaction, or instrument that is not excluded under current law and can be acknowledged before a notary and witnesses may be acknowledged remotely, provided specific conditions are met. These conditions include the notary being physically present in a parish where they are authorized to operate, the acknowledgment being made by a party personally known to the notary or one of the witnesses, and the notary confirming the identity of the party during the audiovisual transmission.

The proposed law also stipulates that the acknowledgment is valid only if the act is not required to be executed as an authentic act, and the party making the acknowledgment must declare their signature and intent during the transmission. Additionally, the notary must document the acknowledgment's compliance with these requirements. The bill is set to take effect on August 1, 2026, and clarifies that it supplements existing provisions of the Louisiana Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

Statutes affected:
SB463 Original: 35:623(D)