Mr. SICKLES. Another feature of the Traffic Safety Act sets safety standards for automobile tires to insure that they will be capable of performing under the demands that will be placed on them. Finally, the legislation establishes a National Driver Register as an aid to more effective en forcement of bans against unqualified drivers. Anyone who has had his license revoked or been refused a license will have his name so recorded in this register. This will make it easier for any jurisdiction to check the background of a driver applying for a license. Congressional Record-House AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. MOSS Mr. MOSS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Amendment offered by Mr. Moss: On page 59, line 1, after "State" insert "a political subdivision thereof". Mr. MOSS: Mr. Chairman, again I do not believe this is controversial. It makes it quite clear that a district attorney or a city prosecutor could seek information from the drivers license registry maintained by the Department of Commerce. The present language is rather confused. It states "at the request of a State." It does not say who in the State makes the request. It is not clear at all whether a district attorney, a county or, as I say, a city prosecutor could forward a request and have it responded to. I have discussed this also with the distinguished gentleman from Illinois and with the chairman of the committee, and I believe it is also noncontroversial. Mr. SPRINGER. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection. Mr. STAGGERS. We have no objection to it. The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California [Mr. Moss]. The amendment was agreed to. House Committee Report House Report 1776, Page 34 Title IV-National Driver Register Section 401 of the reported bill is a complete revision of the act of July 14, 1960 (23 U.S.Č. 313 note). The first section of this revision authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish and maintain a register identifying each individual reported to him by a State or political subdivision thereof as one with respect to whom such State or political subdivision has denied, terminated, or temporarily withdrawn (except a withdrawal for less than six months based on a series of nonmoving violations) an individual's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle. Section 2 of the revision requires the Secretary, but only at the request of the State or Federal department or agency, to furnish information contained in the register, except that such information is to be furnished only to the requesting party and only with respect to an individual applicant for a motor vehicle operator's license or permit. The third section of the revision is a definition of the term "State" to include not only the States, but the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone, and American Samoa. The revision of the driver register service in this title will strengthen and expand it to include identification of any individual whose license has been denied, revoked, or suspended, except for suspensions for less than 6 months based on nonmoving violations. The Secretary is given the authority to include in the register any class of denials, revocations, or suspension that is sufficiently common among the States to make the information mutually useful. The committee has been informed that the present driver register service processes some 45,000 daily inquiries. No doubt under the revision proposed these inquiries will increase. The committee considered the question of whether or not political subdivisions of States and officials thereof should be free to make inquiries to gain information from the national driver register and determine that this provision should not be so extended because in the first instance an official in a political subdivision can consult his own State department of motor vehicles and if appropriate the information requested could be transmitted on to the Federal Government by the State. Senate Passed Act Congressional Record-Senate TITLE HIGHWAY SAFETY National driver register SEC. 301. Title 23, United States Code, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof a new section: " 321. National driver register service "(a) The Secretary shall establish and maintain a register containing the name of each individual reported to him by a State, or political subdivision thereof, as an individual with respect to whom such State or political subdivision has denied, terminated, or temporarily withdrawn (except a withdrawal for less than ninety days based on habitual violation) an individual's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle. Such register shall also contain such other information as the Secretary may deem appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section. "(b) The Secretary shall, at the request of any State, or political subdivision thereof, or at the request of any Federal department or agency, furnish such information as may be contained in the register established under subsection (a) with respect to any individual applicant for a motor vehicle operator's license or permit. "(c) As used in this section, the term 'State' includes each of the several States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone and American Samoa." Technical amendments SEC. 302. (a) The Act of July 14, 1960 (74 Stat. 526), as amended by the Act of October 4, 1961 (75 Stat. 779), is hereby repealed. (b) The analysis of chapter 3 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof: "321. National Driver Register Service." Senate Debate Congressional Record-Senate Mr. CASE. Mr. President, I appreciate deeply the courtesy accorded me by the Senator from New Hampshire and the Senator from Washington. I send to the desk an amendment and ask that it be stated. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendment will be stated. The legislative clerk read as follows: On page 64, line 14, strike out "six months" and insert "ninety days." Mr. CASE. Under the bill, the Driver Register Service would be broadened to permit the Register to list the names of additional categories of problem drivers whose licenses have been either revoked or suspended. However, there would be one exception. The exception would exempt from coverage those motorists who are deprived of their driving privileges for 6 months or less because of habitual violation. The bulk of those in this category, I am told, would be individuals whose licenses would be taken away under a State point system. My amendment is designed to bring more of these bad drivers within the coverage of the Register, and thereby help improve highway safety. It would accomplish this by reducing the 6-month exception in S. 3005 to 90 days. While I would have preferred a 30-day limitation, and previously introduced a bill to this effect, I believe 90 days as opposed to 6 months is a step in the right direction, and will make more effective the new role we are carving out for the National Driver Register Service. Mr. MAGNUSON. Mr. President, if the Senator from New Hampshire will agree with me, I believe we can accept the amendment. The committee decided upon a period of 6 months because it felt that that was a proper time. However, the State of New Jersey should be complimented. The State of New Jersey has some good, stringent traffic laws, including a 3month provision. I do not believe the bill will be harmed by containing a 3month provision. Such a provision might encourage some States to follow suit. This is another part of the traffic safety problem that the Committee on Commerce dealt with about 2 years ago. The committee began a driver registration clearinghouse in Washington, D.C.—a sort of traffic FBI for drivers who move from one State to another. The States were asked to take advantage of this, and 50 States did so. At the present time, 40,000 inquiries a day are being received. Senate Committee Report Senate Report 1301, Page 17 THE NATIONAL DRIVER REGISTER SERVICE The proposed section 404 of title 23, United States Code, would codify and amend the National Driver Register legislation. The National Driver Register Service is now maintained in the Department of Commerce as a voluntary driver records exchange program participated in by all States, the District of Columbia, and four territories. The service permits the States to report to the Secretary on drivers who have had their driving privileges suspended or revoked because of a conviction involving a fatal accident or drunken driving, and to have access to such information centrally filed by all of the States. This service permits the States to prevent drivers who have lost their licenses in one State from nullifying the effectiveness of a State's laws by securing a license in another State without revealing their driving records. Since 1961, this State-Federal voluntary driver records exchange program has developed to the point where today, on the average, over 44,000 inquiries are sent to the Register by the States each day. The Register mails positive replies to these inquiries within 24 hours of receipt of the inquiries. Over 19 million searches have been made of the Register's computer file since 1961. This has resulted in over 111,000 reports of potential problem drivers being sent back to the States. While the Driver Register Service is now a valuable aid to the States in their efforts to supervise effectively the licensing of drivers, its effectiveness is limited since it covers only summary reports of license suspensions or revocations where there is drunken driving or fatal accident involvement. The proposed legislation would remove this limitation on the effectiveness of the Driver Register Service by authorizing the filing of reports on license denials as well as withdrawals of licenses, for whatever cause, except for withdrawals of less than 6 months based on accumulation of minor violations. Section 404 also would make it clear that Federal agencies can participate in the Driver Register Service as part of their employee driver safety programs. The amendment of the existing Driver Register Service legislation as proposed in section 404 should double the productivity of the driver register program within a short period with negligible, if any, increased costs. Executive Communications Contains nothing helpful. As Introduced As H.R. 13228 in the House and S. 3005 in the Senate: 1 TITLE III-HIGHWAY SAFETY 2 SEC. 301. Title 23, United States Code, is hereby 3 amended by adding at the end thereof a new chapter: "Sec. "CHAPTER 4-HIGHWAY SAFETY "401. Authority of the Secretary. "402. Highway safety programs. "403. Highway safety research and development. "404. National driver register. 1 "§ 404. National Driver Register service 2 "(a) The Secretary shall establish and maintain a reg3 ister containing the name of each individual reported to him 4 by a State, or political subdivision thereof, as an individual 5 with respect to whom such State or political subdivision has 6 denied, terminated, or temporarily withdrawn (except a 7 withdrawal for less than six months based on habitual viola8 tion) an individual's license or privilege to operate a motor 9 vehicle. Such register shall also contain such other infor10 mation as the Secretary may deem appropriate to carry out 11 the purposes of this section. 12 13 66 (b) The Secretary shall, at the request of any State, or political subdivision thereof, or at the request of any Fed14 eral department or agency, furnish such information as may 15 be contained in the register established under subsection (a) 16 with respect to any individual applicant for a motor vehicle. 17 operator's license or permit. 22 25 |