Ellis: Good afternoon. This is a public hearing before the Washington State Department of Licensing, being held to elicit public testimony, both oral and written, with regard to proposed rules amending WAC 308-30-020, definitions. WAC 308-30-030, application process for notary public commission. WAC 308-30-040, approval or denial of application. WAC 308-30-050, terms of commission. WAC 308-30-150, completion of electronic notarial certificate. WAC 308-20-200, format of journals of notarial acts. WAC 308-30-220, fees for notarial acts. WAC 308-30-270, termination of suspension of commission or endorsement and adding new sections. WAC 308-30-290, authorized remote notarial acts. And WAC 308-30-300, standards for technology identity proofing. WAC 308-30-310, standard for communication technology. WAC 308-30-320, certificate of remote notarial acts. And WAC 308-30-330, retention of audio-visual recordings and repositories. Ellis: This hearing is being held via telephone at 1:30 PM on February 9th, 2021. Public notice of this hearing was given by notice number WSR 21-02-067, filed with the Code Revisers Office on January 5th, 2021. Copies of the proposed rules are available at Https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/notary/ndlaws.html. The sign in sheet, your testimony, and any documents you provide are public documents. This rule is being proposed pursuant to the provisions of RCW 42.45.250. My name is Ellis Starrett and my title is rules and policy manager. The director of licensing has designated me to preside over this hearing. Representatives of the Washington State Department of Licensing are present today. If there are questions, JR. Richards, administrator. Michael George, assistant administrator. Lynn Briscoe, assistant administrator. Dee Sharp, program manager. Jeanne Lockhart, licensing services manager. Jeanmarie Aseron, professional licensing manager. Healthy Hood policy and legislative analyst and Damon Monroe, agency rules coordinator. Ellis: The procedure today will be as follows. The department is required to make a record of this hearing by stenographic, mechanical or electrical [inaudible 00:03:25]. Therefore, we are audio recording this hearing. Anyone wishing to testify today should sign in on the sheet located... On the sign in sheet that we already took attendance for. Please use the chat feature if you're able to do so. This sheet will be used to call forward individuals for testimony, and as later used to ensure varying participants are notified of rulemaking results, and the agency's response to comments. Ellis: You will be called to testify in the order in which you have signed in. To assist in preparing the record of this public hearing, individuals testifying today should state their name, who they represent if they're testifying on behalf of others, and whether they support or oppose those rules. The department has received two written comments so far on these rules. For those wishing to provide written comments here, please give that... Please email them to us. And I think we'll be providing that email in the chat box. Now, we will hear oral statements. Ellis: I'm going to open the sign in sheet. Right. I see that we have... I don't see those names. So, I'm going to go to the chat feature. Not sure if I just opened the wrong version, but I'm just going to go to the chat window, for the time, as we're recording. Yeah. [Mira 00:05:14], you did not note that you wanted to testify. I just want to give you a chance in case you did want to testify. You didn't say either way. Mira: My name's Mira and... No, I do not wish to testify. Ellis: Thank you Myra. My apologies. And then I... Hopefully I'll get this right. Angie? Anderson? [crosstalk 00:05:52] Speaker 3: I just need 30 minutes. Ellis: Is [inaudible 00:06:02] here? Right. We are ready to hear your testimony Speaker 4: I'm a little bit unsure as to what exactly is it is that you're looking for? Ellis: So, at public hearings, we like to hear... We collect public testimony about why the public is in favor or opposed to the rules that we are proposing. So, this was just an opportunity if you'd like to share additional comments. You said that you do wish to testify and you would like the permanent rule. And if you want to provide additional comments, you're welcome to. Speaker 4: Thank you. I do not have additional comments separated per WAC. I really hope that remote online notarization will become permanent very soon. I am completely fully endorsed in electronic notary, and I do have my remote online notarization. And I would like to be able to proceed in Washington state as quickly as possible on a permanent basis. Thank you. Ellis: Thank you so much. I also see... That closed line, that one? I also see Dee McComb. You put your name in there, but you did not put additional information. Did you wish to testify? Dee McComb: No. I wound up because of that situation with the chat feature not going to the end of the draw. I put my name in and get returned. I realized you can't hit return and make a column. So, then I filled out another one with my information, but... Essentially I'm with the Escrow Association of Washington and we followed along and made several comments in the development of the changes. And we are in favor of getting these in place so that we can essentially establish a remote notary approved population out here to help out the world. So, we're good. Ellis: Thank you so much to you Dee. And Sean... I see your name here next. Even though your comment comes further down that you'd wish to testify, but Sean Holland, if you wish to testify, please go ahead now. Sean: Can you hear me? Ellis: Yes. Sean: Okay. Good afternoon. I'm Sean Holland and I'm speaking today for the Washington Land Title Association. We submitted written comments and supported the rules yesterday. Basically saying that we supported after them, without any changes. These are very good rules and the Washington Land Title Association strongly supports their adoption in their entirety. They have some critical components that will protect the security integrity of the remote online notarization process and all those who use remote online notarization specifically. It's Section 300 for standards [inaudible 00:09:18]. Section 32, the standards for communication technology. And section 340, for the retention of audio-visual recordings and technologies. Sean: These are all essential components of any system that will be both workable and fully protect all who use the system. And all those who rely on the documents that are created using the system. These... Excuse me. The standards have also, to great extent, been in effect over the last year. Since the adoption of emergency rules last March, in improving their usefulness and effectiveness in the system, has worked very well and provided a great benefit to the people in the state of Washington trying to get documents signed under the [inaudible 00:10:03] emergency that's been in effect for 11 months now. Sean: So, just in closing, I would say that this will give the state the system that will make a vital technology useful and usable to protect the public. And we'll be something... Just a great accomplishment. And I want to thank all the staff at the department that we've worked with over a long period of time, for your willingness to hear our concerns and to take them into consideration. I think... Really appreciate you looking at what we had to say on the process. And we feel that this is a very good system. We fully support it. Thank you. Ellis: Thank you so much Sean. All right, Terry Robinson, I see your position on the row, but I did not see whether or not you wish to testify. Terry: I'm so sorry. I put in there that I support it, and then... No. I don't wish to testify. Although since- Ellis: Okay. Terry: ... I'm on, I'll just echo the last gentlemen. Fully support this technology and grateful and thankful for all the hard work that everyone's put into this vital technology, as we're moving through this pandemic and moving forward in our digital age so... Much appreciate it. Thank you. Ellis: Thank you. And thank you for everyone for your grace, as I interpret the comments here. I'm sorry if I get things wrong. All right. They will be testifying... All right. I don't see that anyone else would like to testify, but at this time I just go ahead and let anyone jump in. If there's somebody on the call in the meeting that would like to testify at this time. Ellis: All right. That concludes our public testimony and the public hearing. We're going to stop the recording now.