SSB 5246 -
By Committee on Transportation
ADOPTED 03/01/2012
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 46.52.130 and 2010 c 253 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
Upon a proper request, the department may furnish an abstract of a
person's driving record as permitted under this section.
(1) Contents of abstract of driving record. An abstract of a
person's driving record, whenever possible, must include:
(a) An enumeration of motor vehicle accidents in which the person
was driving, including:
(i) The total number of vehicles involved;
(ii) Whether the vehicles were legally parked or moving;
(iii) Whether the vehicles were occupied at the time of the
accident; and
(iv) Whether the accident resulted in a fatality;
(b) Any reported convictions, forfeitures of bail, or findings that
an infraction was committed based upon a violation of any motor vehicle
law;
(c) The status of the person's driving privilege in this state; and
(d) Any reports of failure to appear in response to a traffic
citation or failure to respond to a notice of infraction served upon
the named individual by an arresting officer.
(2) Release of abstract of driving record. An abstract of a
person's driving record may be furnished to the following persons or
entities:
(a) Named individuals. (i) An abstract of the full driving record
maintained by the department may be furnished to the individual named
in the abstract.
(ii) Nothing in this section prevents a court from providing a copy
of the driver's abstract to the individual named in the abstract,
provided that the named individual has a pending or open infraction or
criminal case in that court. A pending case includes criminal cases
that have not reached a disposition by plea, stipulation, trial, or
amended charge. An open infraction or criminal case includes cases on
probation, payment agreement or subject to, or in collections. Courts
may charge a reasonable fee for the production and copying of the
abstract for the individual.
(b) Employers or prospective employers. (i)(A) An abstract of the
full driving record maintained by the department may be furnished to an
employer or prospective employer or an agent acting on behalf of an
employer or prospective employer of the named individual for purposes
related to driving by the individual as a condition of employment or
otherwise at the direction of the employer.
(((ii))) (B) Release of an abstract of the driving record of an
employee or prospective employee requires a statement signed by:
(((A))) (I) The employee or prospective employee that authorizes the
release of the record; and (((B))) (II) the employer attesting that the
information is necessary for employment purposes related to driving by
the individual as a condition of employment or otherwise at the
direction of the employer. If the employer or prospective employer
authorizes an agent to obtain this information on their behalf, this
must be noted in the statement.
(((iii))) (C) Upon request of the person named in the abstract
provided under this subsection, and upon that same person furnishing
copies of court records ruling that the person was not at fault in a
motor vehicle accident, the department must indicate on any abstract
provided under this subsection that the person was not at fault in the
motor vehicle accident.
(ii) In addition to the methods described in (b)(i) of this
subsection, the director may enter into a contractual agreement with an
employer or its agent for the purpose of reviewing the driving records
of existing employees for changes to the record during specified
periods of time. The department shall establish a fee for this
service, which must be deposited in the highway safety fund. The fee
for this service must be set at a level that will not result in a net
revenue loss to the state. Any information provided under this
subsection must be treated in the same manner and is subject to the
same restrictions as driving record abstracts.
(c) Volunteer organizations. (i) An abstract of the full driving
record maintained by the department may be furnished to a volunteer
organization or an agent for a volunteer organization for which the
named individual has submitted an application for a position that would
require driving by the individual at the direction of the volunteer
organization.
(ii) Release of an abstract of the driving record of a prospective
volunteer requires a statement signed by: (A) The prospective
volunteer that authorizes the release of the record; and (B) the
volunteer organization attesting that the information is necessary for
purposes related to driving by the individual at the direction of the
volunteer organization. If the volunteer organization authorizes an
agent to obtain this information on their behalf, this must be noted in
the statement.
(d) Transit authorities. An abstract of the full driving record
maintained by the department may be furnished to an employee or agent
of a transit authority checking prospective volunteer vanpool drivers
for insurance and risk management needs.
(e) Insurance carriers. (i) An abstract of the driving record
maintained by the department covering the period of not more than the
last three years may be furnished to an insurance company or its agent:
(A) That has motor vehicle or life insurance in effect covering the
named individual;
(B) To which the named individual has applied; or
(C) That has insurance in effect covering the employer or a
prospective employer of the named individual.
(ii) The abstract provided to the insurance company must:
(A) Not contain any information related to actions committed by law
enforcement officers or firefighters, as both terms are defined in RCW
41.26.030, or by Washington state patrol officers, while driving
official vehicles in the performance of their occupational duty. This
does not apply to any situation where the vehicle was used in the
commission of a misdemeanor or felony;
(B) Include convictions under RCW 46.61.5249 and 46.61.525, except
that the abstract must report the convictions only as negligent driving
without reference to whether they are for first or second degree
negligent driving; and
(C) Exclude any deferred prosecution under RCW 10.05.060, except
that if a person is removed from a deferred prosecution under RCW
10.05.090, the abstract must show the deferred prosecution as well as
the removal.
(iii) Any policy of insurance may not be canceled, nonrenewed,
denied, or have the rate increased on the basis of information
regarding an accident included in the abstract of a driving record,
unless the policyholder was determined to be at fault.
(iv) Any insurance company or its agent, for underwriting purposes
relating to the operation of commercial motor vehicles, may not use any
information contained in the abstract relative to any person's
operation of motor vehicles while not engaged in such employment. Any
insurance company or its agent, for underwriting purposes relating to
the operation of noncommercial motor vehicles, may not use any
information contained in the abstract relative to any person's
operation of commercial motor vehicles.
(v) The director may enter into a contractual agreement with an
insurance company or its agent for the limited purpose of reviewing the
driving records of existing policyholders for changes to the record
during specified periods of time. The department shall establish a fee
for this service, which must be deposited in the highway safety fund.
The fee for this service must be set at a level that will not result in
a net revenue loss to the state. Any information provided under this
subsection must be treated in the same manner and is subject to the
same restrictions as driving record abstracts.
(f) Alcohol/drug assessment or treatment agencies. An abstract of
the driving record maintained by the department covering the period of
not more than the last five years may be furnished to an alcohol/drug
assessment or treatment agency approved by the department of social and
health services to which the named individual has applied or been
assigned for evaluation or treatment, for purposes of assisting
employees in making a determination as to what level of treatment, if
any, is appropriate, except that the abstract must:
(i) Also include records of alcohol-related offenses, as defined in
RCW 46.01.260(2), covering a period of not more than the last ten
years; and
(ii) Indicate whether an alcohol-related offense was originally
charged as a violation of either RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504.
(g) City attorneys and county prosecuting attorneys. An abstract
of the full driving record maintained by the department, including
whether a recorded violation is an alcohol-related offense, as defined
in RCW 46.01.260(2), that was originally charged as a violation of
either RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504, may be furnished to city attorneys
or county prosecuting attorneys. City attorneys and county prosecuting
attorneys may provide the driving record to alcohol/drug assessment or
treatment agencies approved by the department of social and health
services to which the named individual has applied or been assigned for
evaluation or treatment.
(h) State colleges, universities, or agencies, or units of local
government. An abstract of the full driving record maintained by the
department may be furnished to (i) state colleges, universities, or
agencies for employment and risk management purposes or (ii) units of
local government authorized to self-insure under RCW 48.62.031 for
employment and risk management purposes.
(i) Superintendent of public instruction. An abstract of the full
driving record maintained by the department may be furnished to the
superintendent of public instruction for review of public school bus
driver records. The superintendent or superintendent's designee may
discuss information on the driving record with an authorized
representative of the employing school district for employment and risk
management purposes.
(3) Release to third parties prohibited. Any person or entity
receiving an abstract of a person's driving record under subsection
(2)(b) through (i) of this section shall use the abstract exclusively
for his, her, or its own purposes or as otherwise expressly permitted
under this section, and shall not divulge any information contained in
the abstract to a third party.
(4) Fee. The director shall collect a ten-dollar fee for each
abstract of a person's driving record furnished by the department.
Fifty percent of the fee must be deposited in the highway safety fund,
and fifty percent of the fee must be deposited according to RCW
46.68.038.
(5) Violation. (a) Any negligent violation of this section is a
gross misdemeanor.
(b) Any intentional violation of this section is a class C felony."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Strikes the entirety of the substitute bill and replaces it with the underlying bill. The underlying bill specifies a contractual agreement with an employer in order for DOL to review the records of employees for changes. The underlying bill also requires the fee for this service to be set at a level that does not result in a net revenue loss to the state.