1994-03-09                     House Journal                      Page 2690
HB 526                                                                       
"Dear Speaker Barnes:                                                          
                                                                               
Under the authority of art. III, sec. 18, of the Alaska Constitution, I am     
transmitting a bill that generally makes confidential the addresses and        
telephone numbers of persons identified in registration records, titles,       
and documents maintained by the division of motor vehicles (DMV),              
Department of Public Safety.  This information has been used by                
criminals to learn the residence address of a victim.  Making this             
information generally confidential will help protect the public.               
                                                                               
California passed nearly identical legislation after vehicle registration      
information was used in the notorious stalking murder of actress               
Rebecca Schaeffer in Los Angeles.  Here in Alaska, a convicted                 
murderer used DMV license plate information last year to identify the          
addresses of senior employees of a business before robbing them at             
gunpoint.                                                                      
                                                                               
As it stands now, if the public, including a person planning a crime,          
knows the license plate of a particular car, DMV must release the              
name, address and telephone number of the car owner as a public                
record.  In order to protect the public -- and in keeping with Alaska's        
tradition of protecting the privacy of its citizens -- the attached bill       
amends AS28.05.061 to make the addresses and telephone numbers                 
contained in DMV records confidential unless the requestor has a               
legitimate interest in the information, as determined under regulations        
adopted by the Department of Public Safety.                                    
                                                                               
I urge your favorable action on this bill.                                     
                                                                               
				Sincerely,                                                                 
									/s/                                                                   
				Walter J. Hickel                                                           
				Governor"                                                                  
                                                                               
                                                                               
HB 527                                                                       
HOUSE BILL NO. 527 by the House Rules Committee by request of                  
the Governor, entitled:                                                        
                                                                               
"An Act relating to the maximum period of probation after                     
conviction for certain offenses."