FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1360

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

C 99 L 19

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning abstracts of driving records.

Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Irwin and Fey).

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:

The Department of Licensing (DOL) maintains a driving record on every person licensed to operate a motor vehicle in Washington. These records or driver abstracts contain information relating to a person's driving record, which include: (1) accident information; (2) driving status; and (3) information about traffic citations.

The DOL may only release an abstract of a driver's record to the following persons and uses: (1) the individual named in the abstract; (2) employers or prospective employers relating to driving as a condition of employment; (3) volunteer organizations where driving is required; (4) transit authorities for prospective volunteer vanpool drivers; (5) insurance carriers for an individual covering the period of not more than the last three years; (6) state colleges, universities, agencies or units of local government authorized to self-insure for employment and risk management purposes; (7) the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for school bus drivers; and (8) city attorneys, county prosecuting attorneys, and defendant attorneys.

For employers and volunteer organizations only, release of the abstract requires a statement signed by the prospective employee or volunteer.

For individual abstracts furnished by the DOL, a fee of $13 is collected.

For employers and insurance companies, the DOL may enter into contractual agreements for the purpose of reviewing driving records of existing employees or policy holders for changes to the record during specified periods of time. The DOL is required to establish a fee for this service, which does not result in a net revenue loss to the state.

Summary:

The permission to release driver abstracts to transit authorities is expanded to include existing volunteer vanpool drivers.

The DOL Director is permitted to enter into a contractual agreement with a transit authority, or a self-insurance pool of which it is a member, for the purpose of reviewing the driving records of existing vanpool drivers for changes to the record during specified periods of time.

The DOL Director is permitted to enter into a contractual agreement with a unit of local government, or a self-insurance pool of which it is a member, for the purpose of reviewing the driving records of existing employees for changes to the records during specified periods of time.

Unless specifically required, the release of an abstract does not require a signed statement by the subject of the abstract.

For both types of contractual agreements, the DOL is required to establish a fee for the service that does not result in a net revenue loss to the state.

Votes on Final Passage:

House

94

1

Senate

46

0

Effective:

July 28, 2019