Utah House narrowly passes bill limiting release of motor‑vehicle personal data

The Utah House of Representatives passed House Bill 183 on Feb. 19, 1996, a measure aimed at limiting public release of personally identifying information from motor‑vehicle records and giving individuals notice when someone requests their data. The bill passed the House by a 39–35 vote after extensive floor debate and a series of amendments.

Sponsor Claire Carlson, explaining the bill, said it implements protections under the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act and narrows what the Division of Motor Vehicles may disclose about an individual. "If you want information about a specific individual, under this bill . . . the Department of Motor Vehicles will notify by mail that individual and say someone has requested this personal information, and do you agree to release it?" Carlson said. The sponsor emphasized that bulk uses for legitimate purposes such as marketing and accident records are not impeded.

Opponents warned the bill narrows long‑standing public‑access rules. Representative Stevens argued the bill removes broad public access and noted current statutory options already allow individuals to opt out via a checkbox on registration forms. "This is a broad brush approach to solve a problem that's nonexistent," Stevens said, urging a no vote.

Representative Allen offered a floor amendment to remove language that tied state code automatically "in accordance with federal law" and instead incorporated the federal statute's operative text into state law. Carlson described that amendment as "friendly," saying it preserves state legislative control over future changes. The House accepted the amendment on the floor.

Members also debated press access and how the bill would affect legitimate journalistic uses. Carlson said the bill "does not prevent the press from getting information about driving records, about accidents, about the status of a person's driver's license," and that the change principally affects requests for an individual's personal identifying information made on the basis of a license‑plate lookup.

Under current practice, people sometimes obtain a name and address for $2 by providing a license‑plate number; HB183 requires the DMV to notify the named individual and seek permission before releasing that identifying information. Carlson said the DMV currently charges a fee and could adjust it if the new notification process increases costs.

After debate and the successful pink‑sheet amendment by Representative Allen, the House voted 39–35 to pass HB183. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration.