Jacobsen bill to protect privacy passes out of committee
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Jacobsen bill to protect privacy passes out of committee
A bill that would help protect drivers' addresses from being accessed by the public or stolen by thieves has passed out of the House Transportation Committee.
House Bill 1984, from Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, would require all paper-issued registration certificates for vehicles or trailers to omit the residential address of the registrant.
“This bill is a great way to protect people's privacy who have unfortunately been victimized by car theft,” said Jacobsen, R-Puyallup. “Washington is the eighth worst state for car theft, and we continue to climb. This is an issue that's only going to get worse.”
Currently, a signed vehicle registration with the owner's address must be carried in the vehicle at all times. However, carrying a vehicle registration with the printed address provides an opportunity for thieves to break into a vehicle to access a person's address and use it for nefarious purposes.
“A constituent came to me whose car had been vandalized, and later his house was broken into,” added Jacobsen. “We need to help people protect their personal information by making this small change to the vehicle registration certificate.”
The bill would also apply to paper-issued registration certificates for vessels.
If passed, the policy would begin Jan. 1, 2023. The bill now waits for a vote by the full House of Representatives.
The 2022 legislative session began Jan. 10 and is scheduled to end March 10.
