BILL NUMBER: AB 647INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Yamada FEBRUARY 25, 2009 An act to amend Section 4465 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 647, as introduced, Yamada. Vehicles: registration and title information. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to furnish the legal owner of record of a vehicle, upon his or her request, information regarding the current registration status of the vehicle, including the license plate number and address of the registered owner of the vehicle. Existing law also authorizes the department to charge a fee to pay the cost of furnishing this information. Existing federal law establishes the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System program in the United States Department of Justice to provide an electronic means to verify and exchange titling, brand, and theft data among motor vehicle administrators, law enforcement officials, prospective purchasers, and insurance carriers in participating states. This bill would require the Director of Motor Vehicles to make the federal National Motor Vehicle Title Information System available to a prospective purchaser of a vehicle for the sole purpose of obtaining titling, brand, and theft data, if any, of that vehicle. The bill would require the department to adopt rules and regulations consistent with the requirements for making records available to the public and would authorize the department to charge a fee to pay for the cost of furnishing this information. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 4465 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 4465. (a) A legal owner of record of a vehicle may request, and the department shall furnish, information regarding the current registration status of the vehicle, including the license plate number and address of the registered owner of the vehicle. The department may charge a fee to pay for the cost of furnishing this information. (b) The director shall make the federal National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) available to a prospective purchaser of a vehicle for the sole purpose of obtaining titling, brand, and theft data, if any, of that vehicle. The department shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with Section 1808 and may charge a fee to pay for the cost of furnishing this information.