Governor Issues Notary Procedure Changes

Susana Martinez

SANTA FE – Today, Governor Susana Martinez signed an executive order that establishes new procedures for the revocation of notary commissions, removing responsibility for investigating misuse and administering hearings from the Attorney General’s Office and placing it under the control of the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD). State law provides for the Office of the Governor to be the only entity responsible for officially revoking a notary commission. In issuing her new order, Governor Martinez rescinded a 2004 executive order by Governor Richardson that required the Secretary of State’s office, upon hearing of potential misuse of a notary commission, to alert the Attorney General’s Office of the wrongdoing and wait for its determination on whether sufficient evidence existed for revocation.

The new executive order comes on the heels of a high profile case involving an Albuquerque notary named Ana Hernandez, who was arrested in May of this year for allegedly operating as part of a heroin ring that has been likened to the efficiency of a pizza delivery operation. After her arrest, state records came to light showing that New Mexico officials were informed in 2010 that Hernandez’s tax preparation company had been used as a hub for foreign national driver’s license fraud.

Governor Issues Notary Procedure Changes