Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts

I am very pleased to report that SB 2394, introduced by Sen. Tyler McCaughn, and HB 1156, introduced by Rep. Shane Aguirre, have both passed as written out of their respective houses and have been referred to the other house. Both bills are in identical form and are based on last year’s HB 777, which was introduced at the request of then-Secretary of State Hosemann. This year, the Land Title Association of Mississippi took the lead on SB 2394 and HB 1156. While these bills incorporate HB 777, they also incorporate a number of additional changes requested by the Association’s legislative committee. SB 2394/HB 1156 both incorporate short-form acknowledgments and conforms portions of Chapter 89 to the new e-notary law. Assuming each of these bills pass in the other house without amendment, then they should be sent to the governor for his signature where they are expected to be signed. The new law isn’t expected to go into effect until July 1, 2021 to give the Secretary of State’s office time to develop new rules.

It should be noted that the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts will NOT authorize remote online notarization (RON) in Mississippi. Whether and when to authorize RON will require further study and future legislative action.

To learn more about these bills, check them out: SB 2394 | HB 1156