ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul has signed into law credit union-supported legislation that will allow for the permanent use of remote electronic notarizations in New York.
The New York Credit Union Association called passage of the bill a “major legislative victory.”
The association noted credit unions across the state have been utilizing remote electronic notarization services as a result of a March 2020 executive order and subsequent extensions that temporarily authorized this technology. The law, when fully implemented, provides credit unions and other New York organizations with the permanent ability to utilize the technology.
The legislation, S.1780-C, was introduced by Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, D-Queens, and Sen. James Skoufis, D-Cornwall.
“The permanent use of remote notarizations was a major legislative priority for NYCUA and New York’s credit unions in 2021,” the association said. “Credit unions and other institutions throughout the state successfully implemented and utilized the technology at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many were hesitant to utilize and perform notary services in person.”
Since that time, the technology has been used to expand notary services to countless individuals who may have had difficulty obtaining services in person, the NYCUA said.
‘Practical and Modern’
“This law is certainly a victory for credit unions, but it’s also a victory for the disabled, elderly, those in rural communities and others who may find it difficult to obtain the services of a notary in person,” said NYCUA President and CEO William J. Mellin. “New York now joins a growing list of states that have authorized this practical and modern technology. On behalf of New York’s credit unions, I thank Gov. Hochul, as well as Assemblywoman Rozic and Sen. Skoufis, for ensuring this pragmatic piece of legislation became law.”
A Second Victory
The association called theremote notarization legislation the second key legislative priority New York’s credit unions have seen signed into law in 2021. Earlier this year, Hochul signed a law granting credit unions access to the state’s Excelsior Linked Deposit Program – a move that capped decades of advocacy and lobbying efforts from NYCUA and the New York credit union community, the association said.
“It is difficult enough to get any policy idea signed into law; having two priorities become law in a single legislative session is truly remarkable,” said Mellin. “This illustrates what the New York Credit Union Association has been saying for over 100 years: When the credit union movement is united, we are among the most powerful advocacy forces on the planet.”