Bill > HB2248

This bill makes several changes to how the secretary of state's corporations and charities division processes various filings and documents. It clarifies that assignments of trademarks must be in writing and recorded with the secretary of state to be valid against subsequent purchasers, and it removes a provision that previously required the secretary of state to issue a new certificate upon assignment. The bill also adds procedures for the reinstatement of registrations for international student exchange visitor placement organizations, which are organizations that facilitate foreign students coming to the U.S. to study. For general entity filings, the bill changes the process from "recording" to "documenting the date of receipt" and specifies that the secretary of state will "process and accept" filings, then provide a copy with an acknowledgment of the processing date and time. It also clarifies that the secretary of state's duty to file an entity filing is ministerial, meaning it's a straightforward administrative task. The bill also updates the requirements for initial and annual reports filed by domestic and foreign entities, including specifying that a copy of the name change document from the entity's jurisdiction of formation is required when an entity's name changes. Additionally, it clarifies that employing a remote worker who resides in Washington state does not, by itself, constitute doing business in the state for foreign entities. The bill also expands the types of documents for which the secretary of state cannot certify or attest to a notary public's signature, specifically adding individually created documents that could be obtained as certified copies from a government entity. Finally, it modifies the allocation of annual license or renewal fees, stating that the first $50 will go to the state treasury and the remainder to the secretary of state's revolving fund, which is used to cover the costs of registration and information services.