SENATE BILL REPORT

SSB 6327

As Passed Senate, February 12, 2004

Title: An act relating to authorizing a fee for the limited purpose of reviewing driving records of existing policyholders for changes.

Brief Description: Authorizing a fee for the limited purpose of reviewing driving records of existing policyholders for changes.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Highways & Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Esser, Haugen, Swecker, Jacobsen, Murray and Rasmussen).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Highways & Transportation: 1/28/04, 1/29/04 [DPS].

Passed Senate: 2/12/04, 48-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6327 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

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

Staff: Kimberly Johnson (786-7346)

Background: A certified abstract of the driving record generally contains the number of motor vehicle accidents in which the person was driving, whether the accident resulted in a fatality, the status of the person's driving privilege in this state, and any report of a failure to appear or a failure to respond. 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. The fee for each abstract is $5.

Summary of Bill: The director of DOL is authorized to enter into a contractual agreement with an insurance company or its agent for the purpose of reviewing the driving records of existing policy holders for changes occurring to the record during a specified period of time. DOL must charge a fee for providing this service. The fee must be set at a level that will not result in a net revenue loss to the state.

Any information provided pursuant to a contractual agreement must be treated in the same manner, and is subject to the same restrictions, as the full driver abstract.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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

Testimony For: What this bill provides us with is a new tool that will enable us to become more efficient and accurate in our underwriting functions. Several other states allow for this type of service and no other state has experienced a revenue loss because of this type of monitoring.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: John Chatelaine, Explore Information Services; Mike Woodin, Explore Information Services.