ENROLLED 2015 Legislature CS for SB 526 2015526er 1 2 An act relating to notaries public; amending s. 3 92.525, F.S.; revising the methods available for 4 verifying documents; amending s. 117.10, F.S.; 5 defining the term “reliable electronic means”; 6 authorizing specified officers to administer oaths by 7 reliable electronic means when engaged in the 8 performance of official duties; providing an effective 9 date. 10 11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 12 13 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 92.525, Florida 14 Statutes, is amended to read: 15 92.525 Verification of documents; perjury by false written 16 declaration, penalty.— 17 (1) IfWhen it isauthorized or required by law, by rule of 18 an administrative agency, or by rule or order of court that a 19 document be verified by a person, the verification may be 20 accomplished in the following manner: 21 (a) Under oath or affirmation taken or administered before 22 an officer authorized under s. 92.50 to administer oaths;or23 (b) Under oath or affirmation taken or administered by an 24 officer authorized under s. 117.10 to administer oaths; or 25 (c) By the signing of the written declaration prescribed in 26 subsection (2). 27 Section 2. Section 117.10, Florida Statutes, is amended to 28 read: 29 117.10 Law enforcement and correctional officers; 30 administration of oaths.— 31 (1) For purposes of this section, the term “reliable 32 electronic means” means the signing and transmission of a 33 document through means compliant with criminal justice 34 information system security measures. Such signing and 35 transmission must be made by an affiant to an officer authorized 36 to administer oaths under subsection (2) under circumstances 37 that indicate that the document was submitted by the affiant. 38 (2) Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and 39 correctional probation officers, as defined in s. 943.10, and 40 traffic accident investigation officers and traffic infraction 41 enforcement officers, as described in s. 316.640, are authorized 42 to administer oaths by reliable electronic means or in the 43 physical presence of an affiant when engaged in the performance 44 of official duties. Sections 117.01, 117.04, 117.045, 117.05, 45 and 117.103 do not apply tothe provisions ofthis section. An 46 officer may not notarize his or her own signature. 47 (3) An oath administered pursuant to this section is an 48 acceptable method of verification as provided under s. 92.525. 49 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.