Sponsors: Senate Committee on Highways & Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Brown, West, Sheahan and Kohl-Welles).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

• Requires the Department of Licensing to release to volunteer organizations the certified abstract of the full driving record of an individual who has submitted an application for a position that could require transportation of children under 18 years of age, adults over 65 years of age, or physically or mentally disabled persons.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 29 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Rockefeller, Vice Chair; Simpson, Vice Chair; Ericksen, Ranking Minority Member; Jarrett, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey, Campbell, Clibborn, Cooper, Dickerson, Edwards, Flannigan, Hankins, Hatfield, Hudgins, Kristiansen, Lovick, Mielke, Morris, Nixon, Romero, Schindler, Shabro, Sullivan, Wallace, Wood and Woods.

The Department of Licensing (DOL) must provide, upon proper request, certified abstracts of driving records to: the driver, insurance companies, the driver's current or prospective employer or agent, employees or agents of a transit authority checking volunteer vanpool drivers for risk assessment and insurance needs, and certain others. Release of the certified abstract to a current or prospective employer, or its agent, requires statements signed by the current or prospective employee, and the current or prospective employer.

Upon proper request by a volunteer organization, the DOL must provide a certified abstract of the full driving record of an individual who has submitted an application for a position that could require the transportation of children under 18 years of age, adults over 65 years of age, or physically or mentally disabled persons. The release of the abstract requires signed statements from: 1) the prospective volunteer, authorizing the release of the information; and 2) the volunteer organization, attesting that the information will be used only to determine whether the licensee should be allowed to a vehicle for the volunteer organization for the purpose of transporting children, adults over 65 or disabled persons.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: This bill allows volunteer organizations to know that the volunteers they supervise are safe drivers. This is particularly important when the volunteer is working with children, elderly adults, and disabled individuals. If passed, law enforcement, Department of Licensing and the volunteer organizations will all be clear about what information can be made available to organizations about the driving record of volunteers that transport children, elderly adults and disabled individuals.

Testified: Senator Brown, prime sponsor; and Sharon Foster, YMCA’s of Washington and Council of Youth Agencies.