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Committee approves bill clarifying access to unredacted traffic accident reports
Summary
The committee adopted a first substitute and favorably recommended HB 222, which clarifies who may obtain unredacted traffic‑accident reports. The sponsor said technical edits removed a fiscal exposure; industry witnesses expressed support.
The House Judiciary Committee adopted the first substitute to HB 222 and voted to favorably recommend the bill to the House floor.
Representative Stoddard said the bill clarifies what qualifies as an accident report and who may access unredacted police files in the context of traffic accident litigation; the change follows earlier work to reduce inconsistent agency practices. Stoddard said the first substitute reduced a fiscal note from nearly $1 million to zero by removing a statutory cap on agency fees for producing records.
Dave Callas, representing the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), told the committee the group supports the substitute and said access is important to both plaintiffs and defendants in accident cases.
Representative Miller moved to adopt the first substitute; the committee approved the substitute and then favorably recommended the bill to the House floor. In the floor recommendation vote one committee member registered as opposed; the committee chair announced the motion passed.
The bill does not change driver privacy rules but aims to make agency responses more uniform when attorneys or parties request collision reports in litigation.
