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House adopts towing reforms that require third‑party notification systems, shorten notice windows
Summary
The House adopted a conference report to tighten towing procedures by requiring towing firms to log who requested a tow, using third‑party vendors to generate certified mail and maintain a public website, shortening notification windows, and imposing vendor bond requirements; sponsor said noncompliance forfeits storage fees; the report passed by a large recorded margin.
The House adopted the conference report for a towing-standards bill that requires towing companies to record who requested a tow and to transmit required notices through an approved third‑party vendor. The sponsor said the vendor must send certified mail to owners and lienholders, maintain a public website of tow information and be bonded.
The sponsor described several changes to existing practice: shortening the statutory notification window for certain mailed notices, lowering the timeframe to contact owners, requiring motor‑vehicle title checks by the vendor, and providing an exemption for franchise motor‑vehicle dealers. "We're also going to require 0.333 party vendor to be used... and what happens is when this individual's automobile is towed, letters that the towing companies were supposed to be sending... it's going to generate the proper notices," the sponsor said.
The sponsor said the reform should reduce storage fee disputes by ensuring timely notice; he warned that a towing company that fails to input required information "is not gonna have right to any type of storage or towage fees." The House adopted the conference report (vote reported as 128 ayes, 0 nays).
