An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Secretary of State Regarding Notarial Acts
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 2023
Committee Amendment CA_A_SA_A_S576 (Senate)

SENATE AMENDMENT" A "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1503, 
L.D. 2023, "An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Secretary of State 
Regarding Notarial Acts" 
Amend the amendment by striking out the first paragraph after the title (page 1, lines 
and 12 in amendment) 
Amend the amendment on page 1 by inserting after subsection 17 the following: 
'Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 inc. 39 in §1916 in subsection 1 in paragraph D 
in the first line (page 11, line 24 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "and" 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 inc. 39 in §1916 in subsection 1 in paragraph E 
in the first line (page 11, line 25 in L.D.) by striking out the following: ", if any," 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 inc. 39 in §1916 in subsection 1 in paragraph E 
in the last line (page 11, line 26 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "." and inserting the 
following: '; and' 
Amend the bill in Patt A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1916 in subsection 1 by inserting after 
paragraph E the following: 
'F. Contain the legibly printed or typed name of the notarial officer.' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1917 in subsection 1 in the 8th line 
(page 12, line 26 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "Stamp" the following: 'or printed 
name ....................... ' 
7 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1917 in subsection 2 in the 10th line 
(page 13, line 1 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "Stamp" the following: 'or printed 
name ....................... ' 
0 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1917 in subsection 3 in the 9th line 
(page 13, line 13 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "Stamp" the following: 'or printed 
name ....................... ' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 inc. 39 in § 1917 in subsection 4 in the 8th line 
(page 13, line 24 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "Stamp" the following: 'or printed 
name ....................... ' 
Page I - 130LR2632(05) 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
ROS 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1503, L.D. 2023 ( S-S7 ~) 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1917 in subsection 5 in the 9th line 
(page 14, line 2 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "Stamp" the following: 'or printed 
name ....................... ' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 in § 1918 by striking out all of the first 
indented paragraph (page 14, line 7 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'A notary public may keep an official stamp, which must:' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 in c. 3 9 by striking out all of § 1920 (page 14, 
lines 26 to 41 and page 15, lines 1 to 20 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'§1920. Journal 
1. Journal required. A notarial officer shall maintain a journal for all electronic and 
remote notarizations. 
A notarial officer may maintain a journal for all tangible 
notarizations. The notarial officer shall retain the journal for 10 years after the performance 
of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal. 
2. Tangible medium or electronic format permitted. A journal under this section 
may be created on a tangible medium or in an electronic format. A notarial officer shall 
maintain only one journal at a time to chronicle all notarial acts performed regarding 
tangible records and one or more journals to chronicle all notarial acts performed regarding 
electronic records. If the journal is maintained on a tangible medium, it must be a 
permanent, bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintained in an 
electronic format. it must be in a permanent, tamper-evident electronic format complying 
with the rules of the Secretary of State. 
3. Requirements. An entry in a journal must be made contemporaneously with 
performance of the notarial act and contain the following information: 
A. The date and time of the notarial act; 
B. A description of the record, if any. and type of notarial act; 
C. The full name and address of each individual for whom the notarial act is performed; 
D. If identity of the individual is based on personal knowledge. a statement to that 
effect; 
E. If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of 
the method of identification and the identification credential presented. if any. 
including the dates of issuance and expiration of any identification credential; and 
F. The fee, if any. charged by the notarial officer. 
4. Lost or stolen journal. If a notarial officer's journal is lost or stolen, the officer 
shall promptly notify the Secretary of State on discovering that the journal is lost or stolen. 
5. Retention. On resignation from, or the revocation or suspension of, a notary 
public's commission. the former notary public shall retain the former notary public's journal 
in accordance with subsection 1 and inform the Secretary of State where the journal is 
located. 
6. Alternative to retention. Instead of retaining a journal as provided in subsection 
5, a former notary public may transmit the journal to the Secretary of State or a repository 
approved by the Secretary of State. 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
ROS 
SENATE AMENDMENT "fr·" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1503, L.D. 2023 { S-~9 
7. Death or incompetency of notary public. On the death or adjudication of 
incompetency of a current or former notary public, the notary public's personal 
representative or guardian or any other person knowingly in possession of the journal shall 
transmit it to the Secretary of State or a repository approved by the Secretary of State.' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 4 inc. 39 in § 1922 in subsection 4 in the last line 
(page 16, line 19 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "±" and inserting the following: 'l' 
Amend the amendment on page 2 by inserting after section A-8 the following: 
'Amend the bill in Part B in section 2 in §90-G in subsection 2 in the first line (page 
21, line 2 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "±" and inserting the following: 'l' 
Amend the bill in Part B in section 2 it} §90-G by inserting after subsection 5 the 
following: 
'6. Marriage officiant license. The Secretary of State shall issue a marriage officiant 
license to every notary public commissioned for the equivalent term of the notary public's 
commission, unless the notary public declines to have the marriage officiant license by 
providing written notice to the Secretary of State on a form designed by the Secretary of 
State.'' 
Amend the amendment on page 2 by inserting after the 8th paragraph the following: 
'Amend the bill in Part B by striking out all of section 7.' 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment amends Committee Amendment "A" in order to: 
1. Provide that a notary public is automatically issued a marriage officiant license 
unless the notary public declines the license in writing; 
2. Make permissive the requirement in the bill that notaries public keep an official 
stamp; 
3. Amend the requirement in the bill that notarial officers maintain a journal; 
4. Restore the term of the commission of a notary public from 4 years as provided in 
the bill to 7 years as provided in current law; and 
5. Amend the term of the license of a marriage officiant from 4 years as provided in 
the bill to 7 years. 
SPONSORED BY: !;{tit ~~ 
(Senator KEIM, L.) 
COUNTY: Oxford 
SENATE AMENDMENT