Posted by Marian_in_CA on 4/30/09 7:28pm
Msg #286936
CA AB442 about Matricular Consular Cards...
For those not following this, this bill is really passing through the system quietly and I'm not sure why.
The XYZ just sent out a bulletin on it... and while I don't agree with everything they do, this is something we really should try to prevent from happening. It's bad enough we have to accept questionable employer ID cards now... this will only make things worse. It increases our risk big time... and I can foresee the needs for a larger bond and a lot more fraud.
I wouldn't ordinary do this... ugh... but they state it well enough:
If anyone wants the email forwarded to them, just let me know.
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An important bill is now before the California Senate that will affect every Notary in the state.
Assembly Bill 442 would add the Mexican Matricula Consular card to the list of acceptable documents used to establish the identity of persons seeking notarizations. The card is issued by the Mexican government to its citizens residing abroad for use as identification.
Unfortunately, the Matricula Consular card does not include certain elements that would make it acceptable as verifiable identification (as the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice pointed out in testimony before Congress in 2003). For example, while the card includes a photograph and signature, it does not include a physical description.
While the Mexican government claims that since 2002, it has taken significant measures to upgrade the security of the card, the National Notary Association recently received confirmation from the FBI saying that the Bureau's view of the Matricula card has not changed since the original 2003 testimony and that their strong concerns about the card's security continue.
The official analysis of the bill on the California State Assembly's Website states that the procedures and documents used to obtain the card are also open to question (e.g., birth certificates in Mexico can easily be forged). Additionally, state law already allows a Mexican driver's license or passport to be used as acceptable forms of identification for notarizations, and these are preferable.
The bill has passed in the Assembly and is now up for a vote in the Senate.
We need your support. If you agree with the NNA's concern that this legislation will expose California Notaries to unnecessary risk and victimize the very individuals it seeks to help by possibly exposing them to document fraud (and other crimes), please call or email your state Senator's office to voice your concern with AB 442.
We apologize for the short notice, but time is of the essence as the bill may be up for a vote in the Senate this coming week.
If you need to look up who your state Senator is, please use the online link below and enter your address (left side of the page):
http://192.234.213.69/smapsearch/framepage.asp
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