To Amend The Law Concerning Disclosure Of Driver And Vehicle Records And To Protect Driver And Vehicle Records From Public Disclosure.
SB498 revises Arkansas law governing the disclosure, use, and fees for driver and vehicle records held by the Office of Motor Vehicle and the Office of Driver Services. The bill narrows public access to certain records, replaces broad public-inspection language with more specific permitted recipients, and updates the state’s driver-record disclosure rules to align with current federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act standards. It also clarifies who may receive certified and noncertified records, including the registered owner, authorized persons, courts, attorneys responding to subpoenas, and government or law-enforcement agencies acting within their functions.
The bill also updates rules for driver abstracts, driver confirmation records, and digital driver’s license photographs. It preserves access for drivers themselves and certain authorized users, but restricts redisclosure and prohibits use of motor vehicle registration information for solicitation. It repeals older provisions that had required broader public inspection of driver records and sets or updates fees for certified records, electronic records, driver confirmation records, and digital photographs. The Department of Finance and Administration is authorized to adopt rules and forms to implement these changes.
SB498 amends Arkansas Code §§ 27-14-412, 27-19-406, 27-19-407, 27-50-906, and 27-50-907, while repealing two older driver-record provisions. Its practical effect is to make driver and vehicle records less publicly accessible and to limit disclosure to enumerated categories of requesters, while preserving access for courts, attorneys under subpoena, law enforcement, government agencies, vehicle owners, and other authorized parties. It also updates fee schedules and redisclosure restrictions, affecting the Department of Finance and Administration, the Office of Motor Vehicle, the Office of Driver Services, insurers, employers, rental car companies, and military recruiting coordinators.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislature. It passed third reading in the Senate 31-0 and in the House 92-1, indicating strong bipartisan approval. The available record shows no committee transcript debate, suggesting the measure was treated as a privacy-and-administration update rather than a contentious policy change.
The main policy tension in SB498 is between privacy protection and continued access to driver and vehicle information for legitimate public and private uses. The bill restricts public disclosure and solicitation uses, which favors privacy advocates and limits broader access to records. At the same time, it preserves access for courts, law enforcement, government agencies, insurers, employers, rental car companies, and military recruiters, reflecting concern from operational users that need the data for verification, litigation, safety, or statutory duties. The near-unanimous votes suggest any objections were limited and did not prevent passage.