BILL NUMBER:  AB 477
  VETOED	DATE: 10/09/2013




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 477 without my signature.

This bill would add notaries public to the list of professionals
mandated to report suspected financial abuse of elder and dependent
adults.

I am not convinced that notaries, with their very limited
interactions, should be placed in the position of being a mandated
reporter.  Others who are expressly mandated by law to report abuse
typically have some level of relationship or more regular contact
with the elder or dependent adult, or have some level of training in
identifying abuse. For mandated reporting of financial abuse,
officers and employees of financial institutions are required to
report because of their access to financial information.

Notaries generally have no more than fleeting contact with
individuals who request their services. If some transaction or
situation should arise that gives them pause or appears suspect,
notaries may already make a report without this law.

I believe that voluntary education and outreach efforts to notaries
about financial abuse would better suit this class of professionals.

Sincerely,



Edmund G. Brown Jr.