The House of Representatives Has Passed the Secure Notarization Act of 2022

On Wednesday, the House passed the Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote Electronic Notarization Act, led by Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and Congressman Kelly Armstrong with a vote of 336-90. This bipartisan legislation will update and modernize our notarization process in and outside of the United States.

The Act aims to allow every notary in the U.S. perform Remote Online Notarization (RON), as well as allow signers located outside of the U.S. to securely notarize documents. The passage of the SECURE Notarization Act would allow for the immediate nationwide use of RON and allow those stationed, like military personnel, outside of the U.S. to securely notarize documents. “The pandemic has shown us how crucial online access is for so many areas of our life, including notarization,” Rep. Dean said. “The SECURE Notarization Act will update our notarization process so that people across our country, and those living outside of the U.S. for military service or other reasons, can have their documents notarized remotely. I look forward to our commonsense, bipartisan bill being brought to the Senate.”

“Remote online notarization offers consumers a convenient way to safely and securely complete documents,” Rep. Armstrong said. “Our bipartisan bill will permit nationwide use of remote online notarization, increasing access to this important process.”

Next, the SECURE Notarization Act will be sent to the Senate where Senators Kevin Cramer and Mark Warner have companion legislation.

For more information regarding the Secure Notarization Act check out the statement released by Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and Congressman Kelly Armstrong.

➡️https://dean.house.gov/press-releases?id=6F9766A1-2210-45AE-A8A9-2482E223FE89 ⬅️

Marriage for Millennials?

Increasingly, committed couples are forgoing marriage while saying “I do” to the various other trappings of adult relationships.

Unmarried couples made up 9% of homebuyers in 2021, according to the National Association of Realtors. In 2022, 42% of respondents on a massive survey said they want their next relationship to be their last, but when asked, “are you ready to settle down and get married right now?” 31% responded “no”. And over the last few years, 48% of daters have said they would consider having a child with a partner without being married.

“I really just never thought about marriage,” Ashley Dour, a New Jersey native, told the Post. “People are like, ‘Don’t you want the ring and the wedding?’ No, the last thing I want is to be center of attention and spend all this money on one big night. I want my money to go into my house.”

These are scenarios that are increasingly common of the trends. But be cautioned that unmarried couples should still take some steps to make it legal. Allen Drexel, a partner in the New York City matrimonial and family law firm Gallet Dreyer & Berkey urges couples, “What I strongly urge them to do, particularly if there are substantial assets and earnings involved, is to have a comprehensive agreement contract or a co-habitation agreement on things like ‘who’s going to contribute how much toward what expenses’ ranging from rent or mortgage payments, maintenance, insurance, utilities, and food.”

Having a joint bank account to pay the mortgage and living costs, and for a share investment account, although maintain their own separate savings has been a successful way to manage finances.

“We saw [some of our friends] get married, and they quit trying because marriage felt like it was a guarantee that you’re going to be there. We hated that,” Dour said. A fear of divorce made them hesitant to marry, “The biggest reason that we never got married is because I was really afraid of him not being in my life permanently.”