What is the SECURE Notarization Act of 2022?

         The SECURE Notarization Act of 2022 is expected to soon be passed by the U.S. Senate after overwhelming support in the House. This legislation is also referred to as the “Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2022”. The issue, H.R.3962, was initially presented to the U.S House of Representatives on June 17, 2021. This matter was voted upon, passed, and referred to the Senate on July 28, 2022. Within the Senate, S.1625, was introduced on May 13, 2021, and should be voted upon soon. Both versions go in-depth on the nationwide recognition of remote online notarization and establishing minimum security and identity standards to be met.  In early 2020, 16 states had RON laws established. Now in 2022, 43 states have legalized the use of RON. That is an incredible increase of 269% in a matter of months.

      Any federal court will recognize remote notarization “that occurs in or affects interstate commerce with respect to an electronic record”.  RON providers must include an audio and visual recording of the notarial act.  Not only do the notarization participants need to be able to see one another, but they also need to record the notarial act as well. Additionally, any RON provider must have tamper-evident software integrated within their product.  The tamper-evident seal will reveal if the transaction was falsely altered. The third minimum standard mentioned is that RON providers must include multi-factor identification. This added security is crucial to identifying that the proper signer is present for the RON transaction. Multi-factor identification could include KBA (Knowledge Based Authentication) questions and identity credential verification. 

               Why does this SECURE Notarization matter to every United States citizen? The most crucial aspect of the SECURE Notarization Act is the fact that RON can be utilized in all 50 states.  Every U.S. citizen will be able to complete their notarizations remotely. Despite this newfound national RON accessibility, there is no obligation to utilize RON. Americans will still have the freedom to complete their notarizations in person.

               SIGNiX has been preparing for national use of RON since 2013. As one of the first RON platforms, SIGNiX has been developing and enhancing its RON technology for nearly a decade.  SIGNiX is the leading RON and digital signature provider in North America. Meet with a SIGNiX representative today and learn about how our RON product can serve you best.