California currently does not allow notaries public to accept tribal identification cards as a form of valid, personal identification for documents needing notarization. California Indian Legal Services in sponsorship with Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) supports Senate Bill 997 which is currently waiting consideration by Governor Brown. The Bill would add tribal identification cards to the list of acceptable forms of identification for notarial uses. California is a vast state where tribal members, especially elders, may lack state-issued identification for a variety of reasons. Many such individuals rely upon their tribal identification which cannot be used to authenticate their identity on document requiring notarization. SB 997 corrects this problem and brings California in line with other states which already accept tribal identification cards for notarial uses. Please consider adding your support by letting Governor Brown know that you support SB 997. Please see the link to a sample letter for your use. For a complete history of SB 997 please visit: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB997
Thank you for your support! If you have any questions, please contact Jedd Parr at jparr@calindian.org or Sonia Montero at scmontero@calindian.org.