Posted by Susan Fischer on 5/7/07 7:55pm
Msg #189292

Howdy, All: Had an interesting conversation with Tom Wrosch

of our SOS Notary Division, about the peculiarities of ID rules in OR, among other issues.

Particularly, I was curious as to why OR doesn't accept US passports, but will (reluctantly) accept two CCs with signatures. Turns out, the law, rather progressive nationwide, was enacted prior to the sharp rise in identity theft (and the technologies that make ID theft 'easier,) and prior to a bazillion credit cards being issued, and because the feds decided to change the format of the passport, which eliminated the physical description. Then why not change the law now?

Well, as luck would have it, he was just in a teleconference earlier today with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (the folks who wrote the Uniform Commercial Code [UCC]) discussing this very question - acceptable ID in a uniform manner.

So, coupled with the uncertain outcome of how the National ID thing plays out, he suggested holding off on trying to find a legislator interested in sponsoring a bill to address the apparent "laxness" of the current OR ID statute for now.

So, we notaries in OR have to be extra vigilant in determining ID, and refrain from relying solely on CCs, if at all humanly possible - at least for a while.

BTW, one never knows who is reading this forum...

Cheers, said the mad hyperlinker,
Susie Linkpager