New Jersey A 4216: Establishes one-time tax credits for certain organic farmers.

Bill Text

A4216 

ASSEMBLY, No. 4216 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits notaries public to take oath before 
legislative members during declared state of emergency. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act concerning oaths of notaries public during declared 
state of emergency and amending P.L.1979, c.460.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 5 of P.L. 1979, 
c.460 (C.52:7-14) is amended to read as follows:

���� 5.��� a.� Within three months 
of the receipt of a commission, each notary public shall take and subscribe an 
oath before the clerk of the county in which the notary public resides, or, 
during a declared state of emergency, before a member of the New Jersey 
Legislature for the area covered by the public state of emergency, to 
faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office; and make and keep a 
true record of all such matters as are required by law, which oath shall be 
filed with the clerk.� The oath of office of a nonresident notary public shall 
be taken and subscribed before the clerk of the county in which the nonresident 
notary public maintains the notary public's office or the county in which the 
nonresident notary public is an employee of a business with its domicile or 
primary place of business in this State or, during a declared state of 
emergency, before a member of the Legislature for the area covered by the state 
of emergency. 

���� A member of the Legislature 
before whom the oath of office is taken shall retain and, within 30 days of the 
end of the declared state of emergency, transmit the oath to the clerk of the 
county.

���� b.��� Upon the administration 
of the oath, the clerk, or, during the period when a declared state of 
emergency exists, the member of the Legislature, shall cause the notary 
public to endorse the certificate of commission and qualification and shall 
transmit the certificate to the State Treasurer within 10 days of the 
administration of the oath.� 

���� After the administration of 
the oath, the clerk or member of the New Jersey Legislature shall 
provide a notice to the person that a notary public who is not licensed as an 
attorney-at-law shall not use or advertise the title of lawyer or 
attorney-at-law, or equivalent terms, in any language, which mean or imply that 
the notary public is licensed as an attorney-at-law in the State of New Jersey 
or in any other jurisdiction of the United States.� The notice shall also state 
that a notary public who advertises the notary public's services, in any 
language, is required to provide with such advertisement a notice in the 
language of the advertisement which contains the following statement or 
translation of the following statement if the advertisement is not in English:� 
"I am not an attorney licensed to practice law and may not give legal 
advice about immigration or any other legal matter or accept fees for legal 
advice."� 

���� c.���� The State Treasurer 
shall cancel and revoke the appointment of any notary public who fails to take 
and subscribe the oath within three months of the receipt of the commission and 
any appointment so canceled and revoked shall be null, void and of no effect. A 
commission authorizes the notary public to perform notarial acts.� The 
commission does not provide the notary public any immunity or benefit conferred 
by the law of this State on public officials or employees.

���� d.��� The State Treasurer 
shall provide each member of the Legislature with access to the certificates of 
commission and notice described in subsection b. of this section.� 

���� e.���� It shall be the 
responsibility of the applicant to ensure that within 30 days of the end of a 
declared state of emergency, the oath of office recording fee is paid to the 
clerk of the county. 

(cf: P.L.2021, c.179, s.8.)

���� 2.��� This act shall take 
effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� Presently, N.J.S.A. 52:7-14 
directs that within three months of the receipt of his commission, a notary 
public shall take and subscribe an oath before the clerk of the county in which 
he resides.� The oath of office of a nonresident notary public should be taken 
and subscribed before the clerk of the county in which he maintains his office 
or is employed.

���� In the event of a declared 
state of emergency, such as the public health emergency and state of emergency 
declared by the Governor�s Executive Order 103 of 2020, county level offices 
may not function normally, potentially resulting in delays or interruption to 
the vital services performed by notaries.� 

���� This bill provides an 
additional, alternative way for a notary public to take the required oath.� 
Under the bill, when a period of a declared state of emergency exists, a notary 
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