Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Judiciary Committee

SSB 5182

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Title: An act relating to the disclosure of vehicle owner information.

Brief Description: Addressing the disclosure of vehicle owner information.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Carrell, Harper, King, Chase, Smith, Eide, Hobbs and Schlicher).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

  • Modifies the required information that the Department of Licensing (DOL) must provide to a vehicle owner when the DOL discloses the vehicle owner's name and address to an attorney or private investigator.

  • Imposes a $2 fee for each record provided in response to a request for vehicle owner information from a business entity, and deposits the fee into the Highway Safety Account.

Hearing Date: 3/20/13

Staff: Edie Adams (786-7180).

Background:

Business entities may request the name and address of individual vehicle owners for use in the course of business from the Department of Licensing (DOL). The business entity must submit the request in writing, provide the entity's full legal name and address, and specify the purpose for which the information will be used. The business entity must enter into a disclosure agreement with the DOL that declares that the information will be used only for the purposes stated in the request for information. Where both a mailing address and a residence address are recorded on the vehicle record and the addresses differ, only the mailing address will be disclosed to a business entity.

The DOL must retain all requests for disclosure of a vehicle owner's name and address for a period of three years. Records of disclosure requests are public records subject to disclosure upon request.

If the DOL provides the name or address of a vehicle owner to an attorney or private investigator requesting the information, the DOL must notify the vehicle owner that the information has been disclosed. The notice must include the name and address of the attorney or private investigator requesting the information.

Summary of Bill:

The notice that the DOL sends to a vehicle owner when the owner's information has been provided to an attorney or private investigator must include only the fact and date of disclosure, and a notice that the vehicle owner may contact the DOL within 5 days from receipt of the notice to determine the occupation of the requesting party.

In response to a request from the vehicle owner, the only information that the DOL may disclose is whether the request was made by an attorney or private investigator. If the vehicle owner submits to the DOL a copy of a court order restraining another person from contacting the vehicle owner or his or her family or household member, the DOL must provide the vehicle owner with the name and address of the requestor.

The DOL must collect a $2 fee for each record provided in response to a request from a business entity for vehicle owner information. Moneys collected from this fee must be deposited into the Highway Safety Account.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect on January 1, 2014.