SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5193

               As Passed Senate, March 10, 1999

Title:  An act relating to truck, tractor, or trailer intelligent information systems.

Brief Description:  Collecting information from truck, tractor, or trailer intelligent information systems.

Sponsors:  Senators Goings, Benton, Haugen, Oke, Winsley and T. Sheldon.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:  1/28/99, 2/9/99 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/10/99, 42-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Goings, Vice Chair; Benton, Costa, Eide, Heavey, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Sellar, Sheahan, T. Sheldon and Shin.

Staff:  Jennifer Ziegler (786-7316)

Background:  Each state and local agency is required to make all public records available for public inspection and copying unless the record is exempt from disclosure.  Examples of exempt records include residential addresses and phone numbers of employees or volunteers of a public agency and the residential addresses and phone numbers of public utility companies.

The Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) and Weigh-in-Motion programs are two types of Intelligent Transportation Systems used specifically for commercial vehicles.  The CVISN program enables roadside facilities to electronically identify a carrier, the vehicle, the driver, and the trip.  Currently, this electronic information is not exempt from the public disclosure law.

Summary of Bill:  Information obtained by government agencies by the use of an Intelligent Transportation System or any comparable equipment attached to a truck, tractor, or trailer is confidential and not subject to the public disclosure law.

The information may be given to other governmental agencies or the owners of the truck, tractor, or trailer from which the information is obtained.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  The trucking industry is concerned that proprietary information would be made public.  This legislation addresses those concerns.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Senator Goings, prime sponsor; Jay Lawley, WA Trucking Assn.; Larry Pursley, WA Trucking Assn.