AN ACT Relating to the disclosure of vessel owner information; amending RCW 46.12.630, 46.12.635, and 46.12.640; adding a new section to chapter 88.02 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1.  RCW 46.12.630 and 2014 c 79 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department of licensing must furnish lists of registered and legal owners of: (a) Motor vehicles only for the purposes specified in this subsection (1)(a) to the manufacturers of motor vehicles or motor vehicle components, or their authorized agents, to enable those manufacturers to carry out the provisions of Titles I and IV of the anti car theft act of 1992, the automobile information disclosure act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1231 et seq.), the clean air act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 7401 et seq.), and 49 U.S.C.((S.)) Secs. 30101-30183, 30501-30505, and 32101-33118, as these acts existed on January 1, 2014, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the department by rule, consistent with the purposes of this section. However, the department may only provide a vehicle or vehicle component manufacturer, or its authorized agent, lists of registered or legal owners who purchased or leased a vehicle manufactured by that manufacturer or a vehicle containing a component manufactured by that component manufacturer. Manufacturers or authorized agents receiving information on behalf of one manufacturer must not disclose this information to any other third party that is not necessary to carry out the purposes of this section; and (b) vessels only for the purposes of this subsection (1)(b) to the manufacturers of vessels, or their authorized agents, to enable those manufacturers to carry out the provisions of 46 U.S.C. Sec. 4310 and any relevant code of federal regulation adopted by the United States coast guard, as these provisions and rules existed on January 1, 2015, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the department by rule, consistent with the purposes of this section.

(2) The department of licensing may furnish lists of registered and legal owners of motor vehicles or vessels, only to the entities and only for the purposes specified in this section, to:

(a) The manufacturers of motor vehicles or vessels, legitimate businesses as defined by the department in rule, or their authorized agents, for purposes of using lists of registered and legal owner information to conduct research activities and produce statistical reports, as long as the entity does not allow personal information received under this section to be published, redisclosed, or used to contact individuals. For purposes of this subsection (2)(a), the department of licensing may only provide the manufacturer of a motor vehicle or vessel, or the manufacturer of components contained in a motor vehicle or vessel, the lists of registered or legal owners who purchased or leased a vehicle or vessel manufactured by that manufacturer or a vehicle or vessel containing components manufactured by that component manufacturer;

(b) Any governmental agency of the United States or Canada, or political subdivisions thereof, to be used by it or by its authorized commercial agents or contractors only in connection with the enforcement of: (i) Motor vehicle or traffic laws by, or programs related to traffic safety of, that government agency; or (ii) the laws governing vessels, vessel operation, or vessel safety programs administered by that government agency or as otherwise provided by law. Only such parts of the list under (i) and (ii) of this subsection (2)(b) as are required for completion of the work required of the agent or contractor shall be provided to such agent or contractor;

(c) Any insurer or insurance support organization, a self-insured entity, or its agents, employees, or contractors for use in connection with claims investigation activities, antifraud activities, rating, or underwriting;

(d) Any local governmental entity or its agents for use in providing notice to owners of towed and impounded vehicles, or to any law enforcement entity for use in locating the owner of a vessel that has become unmoored and is drifting or beached;

(e) A government agency, commercial parking company, or its agents requiring the names and addresses of registered owners to notify them of outstanding parking violations. Subject to the disclosure agreement provisions of RCW 46.12.635 and the requirements of Executive Order 97-01, the department may provide only the parts of the list that are required for completion of the work required of the company;

(f) An authorized agent or contractor of the department, to be used only in connection with providing motor vehicle or vessel excise tax, licensing, title, and registration information to motor vehicle or vessel dealers;

(g) Any business regularly making loans to other persons to finance the purchase of motor vehicles or vessels, to be used to assist the person requesting the list to determine ownership of specific vehicles or vessels for the purpose of determining whether or not to provide such financing; or

(h) A company or its agents operating a toll facility under chapter 47.46 RCW or other applicable authority requiring the names, addresses, and vehicle information of motor vehicle registered owners to identify toll violators.

(3) Personal information received by an entity listed in subsection (1) or (2) of this section may not be released for direct marketing purposes.

(4) Prior to the release of any lists of vehicle or vessel owners under subsection (1) or (2) of this section, the department must enter into a contract with the entity authorized to receive the data. The contract must include:

(a) A requirement that the department or its agent conduct both regular permissible use and data security audits subject to the following conditions and limitations:

(i) The data security audits must demonstrate compliance with the data security standards adopted by the office of the chief information officer.

(ii) When determining whether to conduct an audit under this subsection, the department must first take into consideration any independent third-party audit a data recipient has had before requiring that any additional audits be performed. If the independent third-party audit is a data security audit and it meets both recognized national or international standards and the standards adopted by the office of the chief information officer pursuant to (a)(i) of this subsection, the department must accept the audit and the audit is deemed to satisfy the conditions set out in this subsection (4)(a). If the independent third-party audit is a permissible use audit and it meets recognized national or international standards, the department must accept the audit and the audit is deemed to satisfy the conditions set out in this subsection (4)(a); and

(b) A provision that the cost of the audits performed pursuant to this subsection must be borne by the data recipient. A new data recipient must bear the initial cost to set up a system to disburse the data to the data recipient.

(5)(a) Beginning January 1, 2015, the department must collect a fee of ten dollars per one thousand individual registered or legal owners included on a list requested by a private entity under subsection (1) or (2) of this section. Beginning January 1, 2016, the department must collect a fee of twenty dollars per one thousand individual registered or legal vehicle or vessel owners included on a list requested by a private entity under subsection (1) or (2) of this section. Beginning January 1, 2021, the department must collect a fee of twenty-five dollars per one thousand individual registered or legal owners included on a list requested by a private entity under subsection (1) or (2) of this section. The department must prorate the fee when the request is for less than a full one thousand records.

(b) In lieu of the fee specified in (a) of this subsection, if the request requires a daily, weekly, monthly, or other regular update of those vehicle or vessel records that have changed:

(i) Beginning January 1, 2015, the department must collect a fee of one cent per individual registered or legal vehicle or vessel owner record provided to the private entity;

(ii) Beginning January 1, 2016, the department must collect a fee of two cents per individual registered or legal vehicle or vessel owner record provided to the private entity;

(iii) Beginning January 1, 2021, the department must collect a fee of two and one-half cents per individual registered or legal vehicle or vessel owner record provided to the private entity.

(c) The department must deposit any moneys collected under this subsection to the department of licensing technology improvement and data management account created in RCW 46.68.063.

(6) Where both a mailing address and residence address are recorded on the vehicle or vessel record and are different, only the mailing address will be disclosed. Both addresses will be disclosed in response to requests for disclosure from courts, law enforcement agencies, or government entities with enforcement, investigative, or taxing authority and only for use in the normal course of conducting their business.

(7) If a list of registered and legal owners of motor vehicles or vessels is used for any purpose other than that authorized in this section, the manufacturer, governmental agency, commercial parking company, contractor, financial institution, insurer, insurance support organization, self-insured entity, legitimate business entity, toll facility operator, or any authorized agent or contractor responsible for the unauthorized disclosure or use will be denied further access to such information by the department of licensing.

(8) For purposes of this section, "personal information" means information that identifies an individual, including an individual's photograph, social security number, driver identification number, name, address (but not the five-digit zip code), telephone number, or medical or disability information. However, an individual's photograph, social security number, and any medical or disability-related information is considered highly restricted personal information and may not be released under this section.

Sec. 2.  RCW 46.12.635 and 2013 c 232 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 42.56 RCW, the name or address of an individual vehicle or vessel owner shall not be released by the department, county auditor, or agency or firm authorized by the department except under the following circumstances:

(a) The requesting party is a business entity that requests the information for use in the course of business;

(b) The request is a written request that is signed by the person requesting disclosure that contains the full legal name and address of the requesting party, that specifies the purpose for which the information will be used; and

(c) The requesting party enters into a disclosure agreement with the department in which the party promises that the party will use the information only for the purpose stated in the request for the information; and that the party does not intend to use, or facilitate the use of, the information for the purpose of making any unsolicited business contact with a person named in the disclosed information. The term "unsolicited business contact" means a contact that is intended to result in, or promote, the sale of any goods or services to a person named in the disclosed information. The term does not apply to situations where the requesting party and such person have been involved in a business transaction prior to the date of the disclosure request and where the request is made in connection with the transaction.

(2) Where both a mailing address and residence address are recorded on the vehicle or vessel record and are different, only the mailing address will be disclosed. Both addresses will be disclosed in response to requests for disclosure from courts, law enforcement agencies, or government entities with enforcement, investigative, or taxing authority and only for use in the normal course of conducting their business.

(3) The disclosing entity shall retain the request for disclosure for three years.

(4)(a) Whenever the disclosing entity grants a request for information under this section by an attorney or private investigator, the disclosing entity shall provide notice to the vehicle or vessel owner, to whom the information applies, that the request has been granted. The notice must only include: (i) That the disclosing entity has disclosed the vehicle or vessel owner's name and address pursuant to a request made under this section; (ii) the date that the disclosure was made; and (iii) that the vehicle or vessel owner has five days from receipt of the notice to contact the disclosing entity to determine the occupation of the requesting party.

(b) Except as provided in (c) of this subsection, the only information about the requesting party that the disclosing entity may disclose in response to a request made by a vehicle or vessel owner under (a) of this subsection is whether the requesting party was an attorney or private investigator. The request by the vehicle or vessel owner must be submitted to the disclosing entity within five days of receipt of the original notice.

(c) In the case of a vehicle or vessel owner who submits to the disclosing entity a copy of a valid court order restricting another person from contacting the vehicle or vessel owner or his or her family or household member, the disclosing entity shall provide the vehicle or vessel owner with the name and address of the requesting party.

(5) Any person who is furnished vehicle or vessel owner information under this section shall be responsible for assuring that the information furnished is not used for a purpose contrary to the agreement between the person and the department.

(6) This section shall not apply to requests for information by governmental entities or requests that may be granted under any other provision of this title expressly authorizing the disclosure of the names or addresses of vehicle or vessel owners. Requests from law enforcement officers for vessel record information must be granted.

(7) The department shall disclose vessel records for any vessel owned by a governmental entity upon request.

(8) This section shall not apply to title history information under RCW 19.118.170.

(((8)))(9) The department shall charge a fee of two dollars for each record returned pursuant to a request made by a business entity under subsection (1) of this section and deposit the fee into the highway safety account.

Sec. 3.  RCW 46.12.640 and 2011 c 96 s 30 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department may review the activities of a person who receives vehicle or vessel record information to ensure compliance with the limitations imposed on the use of the information. The department shall suspend or revoke for up to five years the privilege of obtaining vehicle or vessel record information of a person found to be in violation of ((chapter 42.56 RCW,)) this chapter((,)) or a disclosure agreement executed with the department.

(2) In addition to the penalty in subsection (1) of this section:

(a) The unauthorized disclosure of information from a department vehicle or vessel record; or

(b) The use of a false representation to obtain information from the department's vehicle or vessel records; or

(c) The use of information obtained from the department vehicle or vessel records for a purpose other than what is stated in the request for information or in the disclosure agreement executed with the department; or

(d) The sale or other distribution of any vehicle or vessel owner name or address to another person not disclosed in the request or disclosure agreement

is a gross misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in a county jail for up to three hundred sixty-four days, or by both such fine and imprisonment for each violation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 88.02 RCW to read as follows:

The disclosure of vessel owner records by the department of licensing is governed under RCW 46.12.635 and 46.12.640.

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