Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2009/S8318
Timestamp: 2020-05-29 02:57:51
Document Index: 782085962

Matched Legal Cases: ['§307', '§290', '§291', '§8021', '§ 307', '§ 290', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 291', '§ 574', '§ 317', '§ 317', '§ 802', '§ 291', '§ 307']

NY State Senate Bill S8318
senate Bill S8318
Get Status Alerts for S8318
S8318 (ACTIVE) - Details
Amd §307, St Tech L; amd §§290 & 317, add §291-i, RP L; amd §8021, CPLR
S8318 (ACTIVE) - Summary
S8318 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER:S8318
to amend the state technology law,
real property law and the civil practice law and rules,
in relation to permitting electronic
This bill would authorize the electronic recording of instruments
Section 1 of this bill would amend State Technology Law ("STL") § 307
to remove a provision that makes the Electronic Signature and Records
Act ("ESRA") inapplicable to conveyances or other instruments
recordable under Real Property Law ("RPL") Article 9.
Section 2 of this bill would amend RPL § 290, to include definitions
of terms used in the new RPL § 291-i, added by section 3 of this bill.
Section 3 of this bill would amend RPL Article 9 to add a new § 291-i
that would confirm the validity of digitized paper documents,
electronic records, electronic signatures and electronic
notarization, as follows:
* RPL § 291-i(1) would provide that where a law, rule or regulation
requires, as a condition of recording, that an instrument be a signed
and notarized paper original, the requirement is satisfied by a
digitized paper document or an electronic record that has been
electronically signed and notarized.
* RPL § 291-i(2) would provide the form for an Affirmation Concerning
Digitized Paper Documents Presented for Recording or Filing.
* RPL § 291-i(3) would provide that nothing in RPL § 291-i shall be
construed to require electronic recording.
* RPL § 291-i(4) would provide that where any recording officer
permits electronic recording pursuant to RPL § 291-i, it must be in
accordance with the rules, regulations, guidelines, standards and
policies established by the New York State Office For Technology
("OFT").
* RPL § 291-i(5) would provide that to ensure consistency in the
practices and technology used by county clerks in the state, OFT
would promulgate rules, regulations, guidelines, standards and
policies, as appropriate, governing the use and acceptance of
digitized paper documents, electronic records and electronic
signatures under RPL Article 9.
* RPL § 291-i(7) would provide that recording officers must continue
to furnish the State Office of Real Property Services ("ORPS") with
paper documents of reports required by Real Property Tax Law § 574,
unless ORPS agrees to accept data submissions in lieu thereof or has
Section 4 of this bill would amend RPL § 317 to provide that a
digitized paper document or an electronic record would be considered
delivered for purposes of RPL § 317 at the date and time of receipt
indicated on an electronic or other written notification provided by
the recording officer immediately upon receipt of a digitized paper
document or electronic record.
Section 5 of this bill would amend CPLR § 802] (a)(4)(a)(1), to
provide that no fee would be charged for a page transmitted for
recording that contains the Affirmation Concerning Digitized Paper
Documents Presented for Recording or Filing required pursuant to RPL
§ 291 -i(2).
Section 6 of this bill would make it effective 270 days after it
becomes a law, provided, however, that OFT would be authorized to
promulgate rules, regulations, guidelines, standards and policies to
effectuate the bill prior to such effective date.
STL § 307(3) makes ESRA inapplicable to any conveyance or other
instrument recordable under RPL Article 9.
RPL Article 9 provides for the recording of hard-copy instruments
affecting real property, but does not authorize the use of digitized
paper documents, electronic records and electronic signatures for
such recording.
This bill responds to the ongoing challenge of local governments to
deliver more services with fewer resources. County clerks are
continually seeking ways to improve efficiency, enhance services and
save taxpayer dollars. This bill would permit, but not mandate, the
application of information and communication technologies to support
their activities related to the recording of instruments affecting
In the past several years, virtually all businesses have become, to
some degree or another, e-businesses. Internet technology and readily
available solutions have made e-business ubiquitous. Government has
experienced a parallel trend. For example, the New York State
Unified Court System has established "NYSCEF," a program that permits
the filing and service of legal papers by electronic means with
certain county
clerks, and with courts in certain types of cases. This bill seeks to
achieve similar efficiencies in the realm of real property
conveyances by enabling county governments to modernize the manner in
which real estate professionals and recording officers conduct their
By implementing electronic recording, a local government would be able
to reduce the volume of paper documents coming into the recorder's
office. Moreover, local governments that permit electronic recording
stand to save considerable money on personnel and postage for
returning documents. Finally, electronic recording would improve the
accuracy and speed of recording.
As a result of the State's enactment of ESRA and the federal
government's enactment of the Electronic Signatures in Global and
National Commerce Act ("E-Sign")(15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.), it is now
possible to use or accept electronic records and signatures in the
State and in interstate or foreign commercial transactions. Currently,
however, ESRA does not apply to any real property conveyance or other
instrument recordable under RPL Article 9, and E-Sign does not
otherwise require such electronic recording of land documents.
Moreover, the RPL limits recordable documents to ones that are in
writing or on paper, and requires signatures to be in writing and
acknowledgements to be signed.
This bill is based on the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording
Act (URPERA), model legislation promulgated by the National
Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 2004, which has
been enacted in 24 states to clearly permit electronic recording
ofland documents. It would empower recording officers to implement
electronic recording and provide greater clarity for the authority to
do so when compared with existing law. This bill would authorize two
types of electronic recording transactions:
1. the digitizing of original paper documents that would be submitted
to the county clerk for recording purposes through an online
2. the creation of electronically signed data
records that would be submitted to the county clerk for recording
purposes through an online transaction.
The fundamental purpose of this bill is to clarify the authorization
for land records officials to accept records in electronic form,
storing electronic records, and setting up systems for searching for
and retrieving these land records.
This bill would modernize the real estate transaction process. Owners
of real property, real estate professionals, and local government
taxpayers would benefit from the more accurate and efficient land
records system that this bill would facilitate. This bill would also
eliminate the need for persons seeking to record land documents to
appear at the offices of recording officers to file hard-copy
originals, and it would provide for a more efficient and streamlined
storage and retrieval system. Ultimately, electronic recording will
improve the recording process from the point of origin (e.g., title
companies, banks, attorney's offices) to county clerks' offices. It
work flow, increase productivity, speed up the recording process and
This bill has no fiscal implications for the State. Depending on the
level of participation in each county, the receipt of electronic
records or digitized documents for recording would enable county
clerk offices to attain potentially significant savings from the
elimination of document scanning and the reduction in time and
supplies necessary to return documents to their custodians after the
original copies have been recorded.
This bill would take effect 270 days after it becomes a law.
S8318 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
Introduced  by Sens. STEWART-COUSINS, KLEIN -- (at request of the Gover-
LBD12197-09-0
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2.  (A)  A  RECORDING  OFFICER  MAY  RECORD A DIGITIZED PAPER DOCUMENT
PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION IF SUCH DOCUMENT IS AFFIRMED AS A  TRUE,  ACCU-
RATE  AND  COMPLETE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL PAPER DOCUMENT. THE AFFIRMATION
CONCERNING SUCH DIGITIZED PAPER DOCUMENT SHALL BE MADE BY THE  CUSTODIAN
ACKNOWLEDGED  IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTI-
THE AFFIRMATION SHALL BE TRANSMITTED WITH SUCH DIGITIZED PAPER  DOCUMENT
MUST  CONFORM  SUBSTANTIALLY  WITH  THE FOLLOWING FORM, THE BLANKS BEING
I                  HEREBY AFFIRM, THAT THE DIGITIZED  PAPER  DOCUMENT(S)
ELECTRONIC  PROCESS WHICH STORES AN IMAGE OF THE ORIGINAL PAPER DOCUMENT
AND WHICH DOES NOT PERMIT ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, OR CHANGES TO THE  DIGI-
TIZED  IMAGE,  OR  IF  ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, OR CHANGES ARE PERMITTED, A
MEDIA TRAIL EXISTS WHICH CREATES AN ELECTRONIC  RECORD  WHICH  MAKES  IT
POSSIBLE  TO  IDENTIFY  THESE  CHANGES.  I AFFIRM THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY
EXAMINED ALL PAGES OF THE ORIGINAL PAPER DOCUMENT(S) WHICH CONTAIN(S)  A
WET  SIGNATURE  AND  COMPARED  THEM  TO ALL PAGES OF THE DIGITIZED PAPER
DOCUMENT PRESENTED HEREWITH FOR RECORDING  AND  THE  ATTACHED  DIGITIZED
ON  THE  _____  DAY  OF ______ IN THE YEAR ______ BEFORE ME PERSONALLY
APPEARED __________________, TO MAKE  THIS  AFFIRMATION  CONCERNING  THE
DIGITIZED  PAPER  DOCUMENT  PRESENTED  FOR RECORDING AND/OR FILING, WITH
WHOM I AM PERSONALLY ACQUAINTED, WHO, BEING BY ME FIRST DULY SWORN,  DID
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DEPOSE  AND  SAY  THAT  HE/SHE RESIDES IN ____________________; AND THAT
HE/SHE IS THE INDIVIDUAL DESCRIBED IN AND  WHO  EXECUTED  THE  FOREGOING
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