A new law in Pennsylvania went into effect along with the new year on January 1, that is intended to protect those who appoint a power of attorney. The new law, Act 95, requires additional notice to be given regarding what powers the person designated as power-of-attorney will have, and also requires all newly granted powers to be both notarized and witnessed. The new law also requires more specificity of what powers are being granted to be included in the documents. An additional safeguard of expanding standing for challenges to the actions in power-of-attorney arrangements was considered during the drafting of the new law but were not included.
See Paul Muschick, Two New State Laws Are Meant to Protect You and Your Money, The Morning Call, Jan. 3, 2015.
