| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to notaries public; increasing the amount of certain fees. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 406.013, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
|
|
(e) A notary public may not: |
|
|
(1) provide a copy of the notary public's seal to |
|
|
another person; or |
|
|
(2) affix or attach the notary public's seal to any |
|
|
document except to authenticate the notary public's official act. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 406.014, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: |
|
|
(f) A notary public may record the expiration date of an |
|
|
identification card issued by a governmental agency or passport |
|
|
issued by the United States if the signer, grantor, or maker of an |
|
|
instrument or document presents the card or passport to the notary |
|
|
public as identification. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 406.024, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 406.024. FEES CHARGED BY NOTARY PUBLIC. (a) A notary |
|
|
public or its employer may charge the following fees: |
|
|
(1) for protesting a bill or note for nonacceptance or |
|
|
nonpayment, register and seal, a fee of $4; |
|
|
(2) for each notice of protest, a fee of $1; |
|
|
(3) for protesting in all other cases, a fee of $4; |
|
|
(4) for certificate and seal to a protest, a fee of $4; |
|
|
(5) for taking the acknowledgment or proof of a deed or |
|
|
other instrument in writing, for registration, including |
|
|
certificate and seal, a fee of $10 [$6] for the first signature and |
|
|
$1 for each additional signature; |
|
|
(6) for administering an oath or affirmation with |
|
|
certificate and seal, a fee of $10 [$6]; |
|
|
(7) for a certificate under seal not otherwise |
|
|
provided for, a fee of $10 [$6]; |
|
|
(8) for a copy of a record or paper in the notary |
|
|
public's office, a fee of $1 [50 cents] for each page; |
|
|
(9) for taking the deposition of a witness, $1 [50 |
|
|
cents] for each 100 words; |
|
|
(10) for swearing a witness to a deposition, |
|
|
certificate, seal, and other business connected with taking the |
|
|
deposition, a fee of $10 [$6]; and |
|
|
(11) for a notarial act not provided for, a fee of $10 |
|
|
[$6]. |
|
|
(b) A notary public may charge a fee only for an |
|
|
acknowledgment or official act under Subsection (a). The fee |
|
|
charged may not exceed the fee authorized by Subsection (a), as |
|
|
adjusted under Subsection (c). |
|
|
(c) Once every five years, the secretary of state shall |
|
|
adjust the fees provided under Subsection (a) by the amount that |
|
|
results from applying the inflation rate, as determined by the |
|
|
comptroller on the basis of the increase, if any, in the Consumer |
|
|
Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor |
|
|
Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, to the current |
|
|
fee amounts. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The secretary of state shall make the first |
|
|
adjustment in fees under Section 406.024(c), Government Code, as |
|
|
added by this Act, not later than December 31, 2028. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |