SENATE BILL REPORT

                  EHB 1254

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                Law & Justice, January 21, 1998

Title:  An act relating to the destruction of driving records.

Brief Description:  Prohibiting destruction of driving records for alcohol or drug‑related offenses.

Sponsors:  Representatives Sterk, D. Sommers, Carrell, Mulliken, Delvin, Chandler, O'Brien and Bush.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Law & Justice:  3/27/97; 1/16/98, 1/21/98 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

  Signed by Senators Roach, Chair; Johnson, Vice Chair; Fairley, Goings, Hargrove, Kline, Long, McCaslin, Stevens and Zarelli.

Staff:  Lidia Mori (786-7755)

Background:  The Department of Licensing (DOL) is required or authorized to keep a wide variety of records relating to motor vehicles and drivers.  DOL is authorized to destroy some of these records after a specified period of time, or after they have been computerized or microfilmed.

Conviction records for vehicular homicide or vehicular assault are not to be destroyed and are to be maintained Apermanently.@  Conviction records for alcohol related offenses such as drunk driving are not to be destroyed by DOL until at least ten years after conviction.

Courts are required to keep conviction records on traffic law violations.  The statute requiring that these records be kept does not specify the duration of the requirement.

Summary of Amended Bill:  Courts are required to keep records of drunk driving convictions permanently.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The amended bill requires courts to permanently keep records of drunk driving convictions instead of requiring them to keep such records for at least ten years.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available for HB 1254.  Requested for EHB 1254 on March 21, 1997.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  These records are sometimes very important and helpful in prosecuting drunk driving cases. 

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Sterk (pro).