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Transportation committee votes to preserve vehicle for towing‑industry reforms after lengthy debate on notice and owner incapacity
Summary
After a multi‑hour debate about abandoned vehicles, notification and business impacts, the committee voted to initiate a committee bill enabling the transportation committee to bring towing‑industry reforms to the next legislature. Members asked agencies to continue stakeholder work on definitions, notice mechanisms and emergency exceptions.
The Joint Standing Committee on Transportation spent significant time on a report and possible legislative response to towing‑industry concerns about abandoned‑vehicle title transfers and storage fees.
Staff framed options that included either taking immediate action this session or authorizing a committee bill so the committee could pursue reforms in the next legislature. Much of the discussion centered on owners who are unable to retrieve vehicles within the statutory notice period because they are hospitalized, incarcerated, deployed, or otherwise incapacitated.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows proposed extracted language that would allow the Secretary to extend the owner retrieval window by 30 days when the owner is unable to claim the vehicle due to such circumstances; under the draft, the period to transfer title would be extended accordingly. Bellows described the language as a targeted fix and said the agency was willing to continue negotiating operational detail with stakeholders.
Committee members raised implementation questions: how would the Secretary be notified, how would towing companies verify an exception, and what effect would extensions have on towing firms’ cash flow and their ability to collect storage fees? Representative Wayne Perry and others argued for more stakeholder negotiation; Representative White and others warned not to hastily enumerate vague "similarly unavoidable" exceptions without clear guardrails. Several members cited the need to improve notification—encouraging registrants to add emergency contacts to registrations and exploring direct notice protocols for family members and lienholders.
After extended debate, Representative Perry moved to initiate a committee bill that would give the transportation committee authority to report towing‑industry legislation to the next legislature. The motion, procedural and not a committee endorsement of substantive text, passed unanimously. The committee directed staff and Secretary of State personnel to continue stakeholder engagement and to produce revised draft language for future review.
Members emphasized the need for clear notification mechanisms, limits on extensions, and protections to avoid unduly harming towing companies that need cash flow to operate. Several members proposed carrying substantive drafting work into the summer and bringing stakeholders together to refine solutions before the next session.
