SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6519

BYSenators Anderson and Cantu

Protecting the privacy of vehicle registration records.

Senate Committee on Transportation

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 31, 1990

Senate Staff:Cathy Mayo (786-7304)

AS OF JANUARY 31, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Motor vehicle registration is considered a matter of public record under the public disclosure law, and the Department of Licensing currently provides this information to any person upon request.  Anyone wanting the name and address of a person owning a vehicle need only go to the Department of Licensing or one of its licensing agents, provide the vehicle license number, pay $2, complete an application form stating the reason for the request, and he or she will be provided with the name and address of the vehicle owner.  This is considered by many to be an invasion of individual privacy, and has proven to be a potentially hazardous situation for women and for elderly citizens.

SUMMARY:

When this chapter requires a person to list an address for purposes of a certificate of ownership or license registration, the person shall have the option of providing either a mailing address or a residence address. 

If the department requires the person to list a residence address for any purpose, the person may indicate that this address is to be kept confidential by the department. 

Residence addresses are still provided to law enforcement officers, law enforcement agencies, and those entities that routinely request disclosure of vehicle registration information for use in the course of their business, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, etc. 

This act shall not change the obligation of an applicant to provide an accurate home address to an insurer, nor to authorize confidentiality of a person's address for any fraudulent or criminal purpose. 

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:   none

Fiscal Note:    requested