Legislation: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves A/C Privilege Clean-up Bill

Bills approved by the Senate Judiciary Commitee yesterday (6/9/09):

• AB 1163 (Tran) - CLRC-sponsored cleanup/clarification bill relating to the survival of the attorney/client privilege after the death of the client in probate matters. Substantially amended from bill introduced pursuant to CLRC final recommendation, but now headed for Senate Consent Calendar.
• AB 442 (Arambula) - Provides that a notary public may reasonably rely on a Matricula consular issued by the government of the United States of Mexico as proper identification to prove the identity of an individual who executes a written instrument. Approved by committee on 3-2, partisan vote, following similar vote on Assembly floor, so Republicans may push for veto.
  

The hearing on AB 898 (Lieu), another controversial notary bill sponsored by the Secretary of State (SOS), which would provide SOS with the discretion to refuse to perform a service or filing that is unlawful, prohibits the use of a subscribing witness when establishing a power of attorney, and eliminates the requirement for notaries public, other than those who work for financial institutions, to perform protests, was delayed for two weeks at the author's request.