SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5868

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Highways & Transportation, March 5, 2003

Title: An act relating to driving abstracts of prospective volunteers.

Brief Description: Releasing driving abstracts of prospective volunteers.

Sponsors: Senators Brown, West, Sheahan and Kohl-Welles.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Highways & Transportation: 2/25/03, 3/5/03 [DPS].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5868 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Horn, Chair; Benton, Vice Chair; Swecker, Vice Chair; Esser, Finkbeiner, Haugen, Jacobsen, Kastama, Mulliken, Oke, Prentice and Spanel.

Staff: Kimberly Johnson (786-7346)

Background: Currently, the Department of Licensing (DOL) may provide certified abstracts of driving records covering three years or less to prospective or current insurance companies upon request. Certified abstracts of driving records covering five years or less may be given to state-approved alcohol/drug assessment or treatment agencies, with information on additional alcohol-related offenses from no more than ten years. Certified abstracts of full driving records must be provided, upon proper request, to the driver, current employers or their agents, prospective employers or their agents, city and county prosecuting attorneys, and an employee or agent of a transit authority checking volunteer vanpool drivers for risk assessment and insurance needs.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Upon proper request by a volunteer organization, 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 a statement signed by: (1) the volunteer or prospective volunteer; and (2) the volunteer organization. A volunteer organization may only use the certified abstract to determine whether the individual should be allowed to operate a commercial vehicle, school bus, or a vehicle for a volunteer organization for the purpose of transporting children, adults over 65, or disabled persons.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: A volunteer organization may also use the driver's abstract to determine whether a volunteer should be permitted to operate a vehicle for a volunteer organization for the purposes of transporting children, adults over 65, or disabled persons.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

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

Testimony For: For purposes of having access to a driving abstract, nonprofit organizations should be treated similarly to employers in situations where their volunteers are going to be transporting youth, elderly adults, and disabled persons. These organizations need to know that the volunteers they supervise are safe drivers.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Senator Lisa Brown, prime sponsor.