Article 9 and lien-related legislation
Hawaii: House Bill 1173 was introduced on 1/21/2025 to modify the content requirements for state tax liens and require the department of taxation to issue a certificate of discharge as to any liability that has been satisfied or becomes uncollectable.
Tennessee: Senate Bill 508 was introduced on 1/30/2025 to revise filing office procedures following contest of a public official’s affidavit that a financing statement was filed without legal cause.
Virginia: House Bill 1913, which would amend UCC § 9-502 to modify the duties of the clerk when indexing a record of mortgage as a fixture filing at the circuit court, passed the House on 1/30/2025. The bill contains other amendments related to indexing and fees for real estate records.
Other uniform laws legislation (includes the 2022 amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) with UCC Article 12-Controllable Electronic Records)
Arkansas: Senate Bill 133 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to add a definition for “central bank digital currency ” to UCC § 1-201(b) and exclude central bank digital currency from the definitions of “money” and “deposit account.”
New York: Assembly Bill 3307 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to enact the 2022 Amendments to the UCC, including UCC Article 12-Controllable Electronic Records and related amendments. Although it amends Article 9, the bill does not correct the state’s non-uniform version of §9-516(b), which omitted changes from the 2010 Amendments that require the jurisdiction, type, and organizational ID number of organization debtor names and resulted in New York still requiring the use of pre-2011 forms.
South Dakota: Senate Bill 1122 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to amend UCC Article 8 with respect to securities intermediaries.
Tennessee: House Bill 443 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to amend UCC Article 8 with respect to securities intermediaries. A similar bill, Senate Bill 508, was introduced on 1/30/2025.
Wyoming: Senate Bill 189 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to amend UCC Article 8 with respect to securities intermediaries.
Emerging technology legislation (blockchain, distributed ledger technology, cryptocurrency, etc.)
Arizona: Senate Bill 1015, which would prohibit county, town, and city government from imposing taxes or fees on an individual or entity that runs a blockchain node in a residence, passed the Senate on 1/29/2025.
Illinois: House Bill 1844 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to create the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act. The act would create the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Fund as a special fund in the state treasury for the purpose of holding bitcoin as a financial asset.
Missouri: House Bill 1136 was introduced on 1/30/2025 to create the Digital Asset Authorization Act. The act would provide that the state or municipality shall not (i) prohibit an individual or business from using digital currency to purchase legal goods and services; (ii) maintain self-custody of a digital asset using a self-hosted or hardware wallet; or (iii) impose additional taxes on use of digital currency as a method of payment. In addition, the bill expressly provides that it is lawful to operate a node for purposes of connecting to a blockchain protocol or transferring a digital asset using a blockchain protocol.
Ohio: House Bill 18 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to adopt the Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act. The act would allow the state treasurer to invest certain state funds in digital assets.
Ohio: Senate Bill 57 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to adopt the Ohio Bitcoin Reserve Act. The act would allow the state treasurer to invest certain state funds in digital assets.
South Dakota: Senate Bill 1202 was introduced on 1/30/2025 to permit the state to invest in bitcoin.
Business organization legislation
Hawaii: Senate Bill 1213 was introduced on 1/23/25 to allow business entities to designate a registered email address for service of process on the entity by electronic means instead of designating a registered agent.
Kansas: House Bill 2127 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to provide for making changes to the filing requirements for certain business organizations. The bill would also make certain registered agent information public record and allow the secretary of state to set certain fees by rule.
New York: Senate Bill 3350 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to authorize certain licensed professionals to form a professional service limited liability company (LLC) to provide multidisciplinary services. This appears similar to Assembly Bill 2588, which was reported last week.
United States: House Resolution 736 was introduced on 1/24/2025 to modify the beneficial owner reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) for companies created prior to 1/1/2024.
Notary legislation
New York: Senate Bill 3692 was introduced on 1/29/2025 to require that banks and credit unions have a notary public available on the premises during regular business hours.
Virginia: House Bill 1889, which would clarify the residency requirements for an applicant to perform remote notarial acts, passed the House on 1/30/2025.
Real estate recording-related legislation
Hawaii: House Bill 1213 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to impose a conveyance tax of $300 per $100 value of the real property if the purchaser has not filed a Hawaii state income tax return within the preceding four years.
Hawaii: House Bill 1360 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to require that the department of land and natural resources transition to a single unified land registry system and implement blockchain to ensure the integrity and security of the system. The bill also would require the department to digitize all land records.
Hawaii: House Bill 1398 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to provide property owners with an expedited process for the removal of unauthorized persons from real property. The bill would also make it a crime to use false documents to detain real property or to advertise for sale or sell real property without permission of the owner.
Hawaii: Senate Bill 939 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to form a working group that will explore modifying or eliminating the land court in the state.
Hawaii: Senate Bill 1218 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to increase the conveyance tax on certain properties to fund affordable housing initiatives. A similar bill, House Bill 1208, was introduced in the House the same day. Both bills appear similar to House Bill 377, which was introduced on 1/17/2025.
Illinois: House Bill 1878 was introduced on 1/29/2025 to require that county recorders and registrars accept payment of real estate transfer taxes by credit card.
Maine: Legislative Document 353 (Senate Bill 139) was introduced on 1/30/2025 to establish a commission charged with recommending methods to address deed fraud.
Maine: Legislative Document 358 (Senate Bill 144) was introduced on 1/30/2025 to increase the fees payable to the county register of deeds for certain services.
Missouri: House Bill 1125 was introduced on 1/29/2025 to modify the fee schedule for recording a boundary survey, easement, plat or other document depicting the division of land.
Montana: Senate Bill 101, which would create the offense of unlawful squatting and the offense of fraudulent sale or lease of property, passed the Senate on 1/27/2025. The bill also provides a process for removal of the person from the property.
New Jersey: Assembly Bill 5301 and Senate Bill 4094 were introduced on 1/30/2025 to expand available protections against fraudulent recording of a quitclaim deed. Full text of the bills is not yet available.
New York: Assembly Bill 3533 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to authorize cities and towns, except a city with a population of one million or more, to establish community preservation funds. The bill would also authorize those cities and towns to impose a real estate transfer tax with revenues to be deposited in such funds.
New York: Assembly Bill 3625 was introduced on 1/29/2025 to adopt the “New York State Small Home Anti-Speculation Act.” This bill would impose an additional tax for residential properties resold within two years after a prior sale. The tax would equal to 20% of the difference between the previous sale price and the current sale price of the property if sold within less than a year and 15% of that amount if resold between one and two years following the previous sale.
New York: Assembly Bill 3739 was introduced on 1/30/2025 to create the New York Title Guarantee Program. The bill would establish the New York Title Guarantee Corporation to offer the title guarantees.
New York: Senate Bill 3178 was introduced on 1/24/2025 to require the removal of unlawful restrictive covenants prior to the sale of real property.
New York: Senate Bill 3737 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to prohibit a recording officer from recording a deed unless the document includes an addendum containing explicit and bold language that by signing the deed the grantor is transferring ownership of their land or home. The bill contains some other provisions related to a deed transfer to a mortgage servicer and investigatory powers.
Ohio: House Bill 1 was introduced on 1/22/2025 to restrict the sale of protected property to individuals, entities or governments that are designated as foreign adversaries. Protected land includes agricultural lands and any real property located within 25 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure.
Ohio: House Bill 3340 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to ban foreign adversaries from getting an interest in farm or forest land. The bill would also require the Attorney General to adopt and maintain a list of foreign adversaries who are ineligible to receive conveyances of farm or forest lands and make unauthorized conveyances void.
Pennsylvania: Senate Bill 195 was introduced on 1/29/2025 to provide a process for the removal of unauthorized occupants of dwellings. The bill would also make it perjury to use false statements or documents to obtain real property or to advertise for sale or sell real property knowing they have no lawful interest in the property.
Rhode Island: House Bill 5185 was introduced on 1/24/2025 to prohibit unfair service agreements and provide that the recorder of deeds may refuse to record an unfair service agreement.
Texas: House Bill 2105 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to provide a process for the removal of unauthorized occupants of real property. The bill would also make it a crime to use false statements or documents to obtain real property or to advertise for sale or sell real property knowing they have no lawful interest in the property.
Texas: House Bill 2131 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to provide a process for the removal of unauthorized occupants of real property. The bill would also make it a crime to use false statements or documents to obtain real property or to advertise for sale or sell real property knowing they have no lawful interest in the property.
Virginia: House Bill 1913, which would amend provisions related to indexing and fees for real estate records, passed the House on 1/30/2025. See also the Article 9 and lien-related legislation section above.
Washington: House Bill 1575 was introduced on 1/24/2025 to provide property owners with an expedited process for the removal of unauthorized persons from real property. The bill would also make it a crime to use false statements or documents to obtain real property or to advertise for sale or sell real property knowing they have no lawful interest in the property.
Other items and legislation of interest
Illinois: Senate Bill 260 was introduced on 1/23/2025 to create the Small Business Financing Transparency Act. This act would require the department of financial and professional regulation to establish a commercial financing database. The bill would also require certain lenders to register with the state and set forth disclosure requirements for transactions subject to the act.
New York: Senate Bill 3484 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to propose a constitutional amendment that would divide the state into three autonomous zones, each with its own legislature, governor, court system, and secretary of state. A companion bill, Assembly Bill 3778, was introduced on 1/30/2021.
Texas: House Bill 2137 was introduced on 1/28/2025 to temporarily reduce sales and use tax for certain sales if payment is made through a blockchain.
Wyoming: House Bill 298 was introduced on 1/27/2025 to require that the secretary of state create a centralized electronic notification system for legal notices.
Note that this update provides only a short summary of the listed bills, which are often lengthy and complex. It is not intended to include all potentially relevant provisions of each bill. For full details, please review the bill on the applicable state legislative website.
