HP0865
LD 1167
First Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
C "B", Filing Number H-406, Sponsored by
LR 2038
Item 3
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:

Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §2251, sub-§7,  as amended by PL 2003, c. 709, §4, is further amended to read:

7. Report information.   An accident report made by an investigating officer or a 48-hour report made by an operator as required by former subsection 5 2 is for the purposes of statistical analysis and accident prevention.

A report or statement contained in the accident report, or a 48-hour report as required by former subsection 5 2, a statement made or testimony taken at a hearing before the Secretary of State held under section 2483, or a decision made as a result of that report, statement or testimony may not be admitted in evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of the accident.

A report may be admissible in evidence solely to prove compliance with this section.

The Notwithstanding subsection 7-A, the Chief of the State Police may disclose the date, time and location of the accident and the names and addresses of operators, owners, injured persons, witnesses and the investigating officer. On written request, the chief may furnish a photocopy of the investigating officer's report at the expense of the person making the request. The cost of furnishing a copy of the report is not subject to the limitations of Title 1, section 408, subsection 3.

Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §2251, sub-§7-A  is enacted to read:

7-A Accident report database; public dissemination of accident report data.   Data contained in an accident report database maintained, administered or contributed to by the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police must be treated as follows.
A For purposes of this subsection, the following terms have the following meanings.

(1) "Data" means information existing in an electronic medium and contained in an accident report database.

(2) "Nonpersonally identifying accident report data" means any data in an accident report that are not personally identifying accident report data.

(3) "Personally identifying accident report data" means:

(a) An individual's name, residential and post office box mailing address, social security number, date of birth and driver's license number;

(b) A vehicle registration number;

(c) An insurance policy number;

(d) Information contained in any free text data field of an accident report; and

(e) Any other information contained in a data field of an accident report that may be used to identify a person.

B The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may not publicly disseminate personally identifying accident report data that are contained in an accident report database maintained, records administered or contributed to by the Bureau of State Police. Such data are not public records for the purposes of Title 1, chapter 13.
C The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may publicly disseminate nonpersonally identifying accident report data that are contained in an accident report database maintained, administered or contributed to by the Bureau of State Police. The cost of furnishing a copy of such data is not subject to the limitations of Title 1, section 408.

summary

This amendment, which is the minority report, strikes and replaces the bill. The amendment provides that the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may not publicly disseminate personally identifying accident report data that are contained in an accident report database maintained, administered or contributed to by the Bureau of State Police, but may publicly disseminate nonpersonally identifying accident report data.

This amendment also defines "data" as information existing in an electronic medium and contained in an accident report database.


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