Public Policy Initiatives
ESRA Benefits Every Vertical Using Electronic Records and Signatures
Automotive
From purchasing a vehicle, to licensing and insuring it, ESRA and its’ members have been providing influence and guidance to both users and regulators of electronic signatures and documents. Federal and State standards are being impacted by ESRA’s active role in Electronic Titling and ownership transfer.
Banking
Banking and financial services has been an important part of the evolution of electronic signatures and documents, from education and adoption to best practices and legislation. ESRA has been there to support this evolution with public policy documents, best-practice statements and advocacy among all stakeholders. ESRA has led the way for wide-spread adoption of digital transaction management in banking and all aspects of financial services. ESRA continues this leadership as electronic signature and document management evolves into next-generation technologies like Smart Contracts, Blockchain and eNotary.
Healthcare
Healthcare was an early adopter of electronic signatures and document storage. From integration to EMR/EHR systems to completing, consent, HIPAA, registration and pharmacy orders, ESRA members have experience with legal requirements, implementation options and ongoing regulatory requirements and subsequent changes. ESRA will continue to educate and support the adoption of future technologies in healthcare such as Blockchain and other emerging technologies.
Insurance
The Insurance market was an early adopter of electronic signature in all forms – hardware, on-premise and cloud-based. ESRA and its’ insurance members have always been active in education, legislation creation and public policy advocacy. Today, ESRA continues to support the insurance market with ongoing policy creation in all disciplines – P&C, Life, Health, Re-insurance and Commercial.
Mortgage
Since inception, ESRA has helped lead the way in education and adoption of electronic signatures in the Mortgage/closing market. Ensuring signature compliance and acceptance to the closing process and e-document storage and retrieval, ESRA has been an integral part fo supporting the market. Recent trends supported include Smart Contracts, Blockchain technology and eNotary.
Pharma
Pharma is one of the most closely regulated markets and that applies to electronic signature and document management. Federal requirements for digital transaction management, such as 21 CFR Part 11, impose very specific guidelines for electronic signature and digital document integrity. ESRA members can help organizations wade through the requirements and offer guidance and also help influence future legislation and guidelines.
Public Sector
The largest of overall deployment of electronic signatures and document storage is Public sector – Local, State and Federal. ESRA has led the education and adoption of digital transaction management in public sector for over 12 years. ESRA has influenced legislation at all levels and been an important advocate for the widespread adoption of digital transactions. Most recently, Smart Contracts and Blockchain are important areas of education and consultation for ESRA.
Business Services
Electronic signatures and digital document storage has had an incredible impact on businesses large and small. From the casual user signing personal documents to the large enterprise signing thousands of documents each day, business workflow has dramatically improved. Electronic signatures are ubiquitously adopted by all businesses and universally accepted by users and document owners. Over the years, ESRA has played a key role in educating all markets on the importance, legality, adoption and evolution of electronic signatures, digital transaction management and digital document storage. ESRA continues to educate and lead future policy and legislation for all business users.
ESRA Board members represent industry leaders












What our members are saying about ESRA
“In the beginning, the Electronic Signature and Records Association “ESRA” was a great resource to learn how to apply new technologies to streamline business processes by converting existing processes from paper to digital. Its founders were among the pioneers who drafted the laws still in place today enabling these conversions to occur. Today ESRA educates through conferences, member meetings, subject matter experts, boot camps and various materials. ESRA remains a vital source of information regarding new technology, commercial possibilities and the impact that laws, regulations and judicial opinions have on our digital world. Through its networking among members, the most current information, advice and counsel is available to help along the way as new technologies emerge and new enterprises evolve.”
“The Electronic Signature and Records Association “ESRA” was formed to promote the use and acceptance of electronic signatures and records in consumer, commercial and governmental transactions. While ESIGN and the UETA provide the legal framework to enable paperless transactions, many in the industry recognized the need for a trusted and experienced resource to provide education and advocacy. The e-commerce laws are procedural, technology neutral, and self-effectuating. While these attributes are important to create a legal baseline to stand the test of time, the lack of specific requirements, along with the dearth of case law, and a quiet regulatory posture, have slowed utilization of digital processes, especially in highly regulated areas. ESRA has played and continues to play a critical role in educating the government and businesses on how to utilize these laws to gain the benefits and efficiencies of digital transformation. ESRA membership includes companies that deliver products and services online, and technology companies that provide the technology platforms to do so. The depth of knowledge and experience in the group is unprecedented, and the group will continue to be instrumental in breaking down any remaining barriers or obstacles to widespread adoption.”
“ESRA membership provides an outstanding network of professionals that are keenly active and involved in government, legal, and business aspects of digital transactions. Having a friendly group of like-minded professionals has been very beneficial to me with the work I do in the varied vehicle registration and titling marketplace. Electronic vehicle titling is my passion and goal and it’s exciting to work with ESRA team members that share a trusted digital transformation vision in their line of business and are eager to make it happen.”