House tightens limits on transfer of police accident reports to curb marketing misuse

Representative Abbott told the House that Senate Bill 246 aims to reduce improper commercial use of police accident reports by prohibiting parties who receive reports for legitimate purposes from transferring them to third parties for illegitimate uses such as marketing.

Abbott said police crash reports contain contact information that can be used for marketing and that the bill builds on prior safeguards to protect privacy. He told members that government agencies already authorized to obtain reports ‘‘will continue to be allowed to obtain the report’’ and that the bill’s restrictions would not impede legitimate agency uses.

Representative Ballard asked whether the bill would affect government access to reports; Abbott said it would not. Representative Stoddard commended the bill as further cleaning up ‘‘bad players’’ involved in personal‑injury marketing while preserving victims’ ability to obtain representation. After sponsor summation, the House passed the bill; transcript records 73 yes votes, 0 no votes.