Alaska House passes bill eliminating notary requirement for totaled-vehicle title transfers

The Alaska House passed legislation Monday allowing electronic signatures to replace notary requirements when transferring vehicle titles to insurance companies after total-loss claims, a change the bill's sponsor said would improve accessibility for rural Alaskans and people with mobility or access issues.

Committee Substitute for House Bill 249, Labor and Commerce, passed 40-0, the presiding officer announced during the floor session. The bill eliminates the notary requirement for title transfers that occur after a vehicle has been totaled and the insurance company has paid damages. Under current law, those transfers require notarization, which can be difficult or impossible to obtain in rural communities.

Representative Elexie Moore, the bill's primary sponsor, said the change aligns with modern business practice, including electronic signatures used by state and federal government. She told the House that current law "places unnecessary restrictions on many individuals across Alaska, particularly in rural areas where access to a notary may be nonexistent" and "also restricts those who may have mobility or access issues by placing an unnecessary burden on them to physically go to a notary."

The bill moved to the Alaska Senate, which referred it to the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on April 28.