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Subcommittee adopts substitute to give tow operators narrow access to police accident reports
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Summary
House Bill 788, revised by a substitute, would allow public towing and recovery operators narrow access to police accident reports to facilitate billing and cost recovery; the subcommittee adopted a substitute and reported the bill 8–0 with broad support from towing and trucking groups.
A patron presented House Bill 788, which the sponsor said gives public towing and recovery operators timely access to police accident reports so they can obtain contact and insurance information needed to bill and recover costs after clearing wrecks. Sponsors said the access is narrowly tailored to the police accident report and intended to relieve tow operators from absorbing expensive cleanup and recovery costs.
Several towing organizations testified in favor: Greg Abbe with Gentry Lock on behalf of the Virginia Association of Professional Tow Operators (VAPTO) called the bill “important” for affordability and recovery; Rachel Macey representing the Northern Virginia Towing Alliance (and authorized for other regional towing coalitions) voiced support; George Mahone of the Hampton Roads Towing Alliance and VAPTRO’s legislative committee also backed the bill. Dale Bennett of the Virginia Trucking Association said the association worked with the sponsor, praised the guardrails in the bill, and noted additional language tweaks would be appropriate.
A substitute amendment was moved and seconded, adopted by the committee, and the bill was reported with the substitute by a recorded vote of 8 to 0.
Why it matters: Tow and recovery operators say lack of access to basic police accident report information impedes their ability to bill vehicle owners and insurers, shifting cleanup costs onto small businesses. The bill aims to give limited access for billing while proponents say it includes guardrails to protect privacy and limit scope.
What’s next: HB788 was reported by the subcommittee with a substitute; the sponsor indicated further technical tweaks may be made as the bill moves forward.
