“I would like to renew my appeal,” he said in an interview yesterday.
In August last year, Torres, Ind.-Saipan, introduced a bill that proposes to increase the required minimum age of a notary public from 18 to 2.
According to the bill, only U.S. citizens or U.S. green card holders can serve as notaries.
Moreover, all notaries must provide services to any member of the public.
The bill removes the requirement that the mayors act as agents for accepting service of process on the notary’s behalf, and mandates that all notaries who are employed by either the U.S. or the CNMI government “shall not demand or receive any fees for services performed at any time.”
Torres said his bill will address the “loopholes” in the current law.
Last year, Torres said a private citizen’s request for notary service was rejected by the notary public of the Office of the Public Auditor.
Torres was told that government notaries public were for government use only.
Torres said notaries of banks should also be available “to everybody and not just bank clients.”
His bill will extend the term of the notaries from two to four years to reduce “the difficulties a person should undergo in renewing a license.”
“I am a notary public myself but I did not renew because of the hassles involved,” Torres said.
