Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/09/2000 08:20 AM House STA
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 324 - PERSONAL INFO IN MOTOR VEH. RECORDS CHAIR JAMES announced the next order of business is HOUSE BILL NO. 324, "An Act requiring written consent by the person who is the subject of the information before releasing personal information contained in motor vehicle records, to comply with 18 U.S.C. 2721; and providing for an effective date." MARY MARSHBURN, Director, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Administration, testified via teleconference from Anchorage. She said the purpose of HB 324 is to bring state law into compliance with recently passed federal legislation regarding confidentiality of vehicle records. She noted that HB 324 does apply only to vehicle records and does not apply to driver's license or driver information which is already private and confidential covered under a separate statute. She explained that the original federal law after which the Alaska statute was modeled allowed information from vehicle records to be disclosed for eleven permitted uses, ten of which uses were vehicle centered because they involved uses by law enforcement, the court system, government agencies in hearings, and uses like that. The eleventh use, she added, permitted the information to be disclosed for mass marketing for bulk surveys if the owner of the vehicle had not prohibited the release of that information. MS. MARSHBURN commented that the new federal law and HB 324 retains allowable uses by government agencies in various proceedings for law enforcement but the new federal law did change relating to mass marketing. She mentioned that under HB 324 information for the purpose of mass marketing cannot be disclosed unless the owner has given specific permission. She informed the committee that federal legislation mandates that Alaska be in compliance with the new law by June 1,2000 or suffer daily sanctions until the state is in compliance. Number 0500 CHAIR JAMES stated that for reasons of illustration, assume that someone is parked on her property and the only recourse that she has is to call the license plate number in to the police. However, she noted that where she lives, the few police available are very busy with more important calls and do not have time for nuisance calls. She inquired as to how she is supposed to address her rights in view of HB 324. MS. MARSHBURN replied that statutes apply if a vehicle is parked on personal property. She indicated that Chair James' first recourse is correct in calling the police and as Chair James suspected, HB 324 does not allow divulgence of vehicle information except to a government agency for law enforcement purposes. CHAIR JAMES explained that she owns a small motel and in the past when cars were left parked at her motel she could request vehicle [owner] information in order to contact the owner and get the vehicle removed but now under HB 324 she will not be able to make that inquiry. Number 0769 REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON commented that HB 324 sounds like it will eliminate junk mail. Number 0805 REPRESENTATIVE OGAN indicated that HB 324 seems to be moving along positive lines. REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON made a motion to move HB 324 out of committee with individual recommendations, attached zero fiscal note and unanimous consent. There being no objection, HB 324 moved from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|