FINAL BILL REPORT
ESHB 1736
FULL VETO
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Requiring the department of licensing to request motor vehicle odometer readings upon vehicle registration.
Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Cortes, Fey, Senn, Ryu, Wylie, Slatter, Reed and Pollet).
House Committee on Transportation
Senate Committee on Transportation
Background:

To operate a vehicle on the public highways of the state, a person must have in full force and effect a current vehicle registration. 

 

The application for an initial registration must include certain information, including but not limited to:

  • a description of the vehicle, including its make, model, and vehicle identification number;
  • the name and address of the person registering the vehicle;
  • information about any security interest in the vehicle;
  • the licensed gross weight of the vehicle; and
  • the empty scale weight of the vehicle.

 

Annual renewal of the vehicle registration is also required, with no additional information required.

 

Generally state and local governmental entities must make government records available to the public upon request.  There are, however, over 500 statutory exemptions for certain records or information contained in records.  Exemptions from public disclosure requirements for transportation include, for example, the personally identifying information of persons using technology to facility the payment of tolls and of persons who use a driver's license or identicard with a radio frequency identification chip or other technology to facilitate border crossing.  In these examples, the information may be disclosed in aggregate form or released to law enforcement agencies if the request is accompanied by a court order.

Summary:

The Department of Licensing (DOL) must request odometer information in the application for vehicle registration and vehicle registration renewal.  The vehicle owner is not required to provide the mileage shown on the odometer.  Failure to provide mileage is not grounds to deny vehicle registration or issue any penalty.  The DOL must state on the applications for an original and renewal vehicle registrations that the vehicle owner is not required to provide the mileage information and that the failure to provide the information is not grounds to deny a vehicle registration or to issue any monetary or civil penalty or infraction.

 

The personally identifying information of persons who voluntarily report their vehicle odometer mileage as part of a vehicle registration is exempt from public disclosure.  The information may be disclosed in aggregate form only if the data does not contain any personally identifying information.  Personally identifying information may be released to law enforcement agencies only if the request is accompanied by a court order.

 

The DOL must provide a report with the numbers of people who provided odometer information, numbers requested to report odometer information, and problems encountered in implementation.  The report is due to the transportation committees of the Legislature by May 1, 2025.

Votes on Final Passage:
House5343 
Senate2820(Senate amended)
House5244(House concurred)