Illinois Rep. Mayfield’s notary eligibility bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Rita Mayfield seeks to revise notary public eligibility standards for applicants with felony convictions, aiming to update requirements for those seeking to serve as notaries, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 73 Democrats and two Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 33 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 36 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while 19 Republicans voted against it.

Mayfield introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Jan. 5, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB4277, was passed on May 20, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Illinois Notary Public Act. Provides that every applicant for appointment and commission as a notary shall complete an application in a format prescribed by the Secretary of State stating, among other things, that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of application (now, the applicant must state that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony).”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Notary Public Act to change the eligibility standard for applicants with felony convictions, requiring them to affirm they have not been convicted of a felony within the 10 years immediately before applying, instead of having no felony convictions at all. It keeps existing application requirements, including residency or employment in Illinois for 30 days, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, English proficiency, completion of required notary training, and consent to verification and background checks. The bill does not specify a new effective date.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz (Democrat-1st District), Sen. Adriane Johnson (Democrat-30th District), and Rep. Barbara Hernandez (Democrat-50th District), along with 19 other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Mayfield graduated from Columbia College in 2002 with a BS.

Mayfield, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2010 to represent the state’s 60th House District, replacing previous state representative Eddie Washington.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.