The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office says it has seen an increasing number of mistakes in notarized public documents.
Currently, notaries are required to take a training course and pass a test the first time they apply. Oregon does not require any additional training when notaries renew their certification.
Kathy Wai, the legislative director for the Secretary of State's office, said notary errors can delay important legal proceedings and life events, like adoptions, or applications for dual citizenship.
“We send approximately 50 to 80 notary advice letters a month to really educate these folks on some of these errors,” she said, “If there's any (mistakes) on any of these documents, this can cause delays which causes frustration for our customers.”
Wai spoke during a meeting of the Oregon House Interim Committee on Rules Thursday.
She asked lawmakers to approve a bill in next month’s session that would require notaries to take a free training every four years.
