FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1877

FULL VETO

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning the release of driving record abstract information affecting registered tow truck operators.

Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representative Stanford).

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:

The Department of Licensing (DOL) is permitted to furnish an abstract of a person's driving record on proper request. The abstract, whenever possible, must include: (1) information related to motor vehicle accidents in which the person was driving; (2) any reported convictions, forfeitures of bail, or findings that an infraction was committed based on a violation of any motor vehicle law; (3) the status of the person's driving privilege in the state; and (4) any reports of failure to appear in response to a traffic citation or failure to respond to a notice of infraction served by an arresting officer.

An abstract of a person's driving record may be furnished:

1. to the individual named in the abstract or that individual's attorney;

2. to an employer, prospective employer, or an agent acting on behalf of an employer or prospective employer for purposes related to driving as a condition of employment or otherwise at the direction of the employer, with a signed authorization of the release of the driving record by the individual named in the record;

3. to a volunteer organization or agent for a volunteer organization for which the volunteer position requires driving, with a signed authorization of the release of the driving record by the individual named in the record;

4. to an employee or agent of a transit authority checking prospective volunteer vanpool drivers for insurance and risk management needs;

5. to an insurance company, with information from a period no greater than the past three years, that (a) has motor vehicle or life insurance in effect covering the named individual or to which the named individual has applied, or (b) has insurance in effect covering the employer or a prospective employer of the named individual;

6. to an alcohol/drug assessment or treatment agency approved by the Department of Social and Health Services;

7. to city attorneys, county prosecuting attorneys, or the named individual's attorney of record;

8. to state colleges, universities, or agencies or units of local government authorized to self-insure for employment and risk management purposes; or

9. to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for review of public school bus driver records.

The abstract provided to an insurance company may not contain any information related to actions committed by law enforcement officers or firefighters while driving official vehicles in the performance of their occupational duties. This exception does not apply when the vehicle has been used in the commission of a misdemeanor or a felony.

Summary:

The driver's record abstract provided to an insurance company may not contain any information related to actions committed by registered tow truck operators in the performance of their occupational duties while at the scene of a roadside impound or recovery provided that no traffic citation has been issued to the tow truck operator at the scene. This exception does not apply when the vehicle has been used in the commission of a misdemeanor or felony.

Votes on Final Passage: