Establishes the offense of unlawful tracking of a motor vehicle
Summary
HB 1737 creates a new criminal offense in Missouri for unlawfully tracking a motor vehicle. A person would commit the offense by knowingly installing, concealing, or placing an electronic tracking device in or on a vehicle without the consent of all owners, when the purpose is to monitor or follow an occupant or occupants. The bill expressly excludes the vehicle manufacturer from the definition of “person” for this offense.
The bill also lists several exceptions where tracking would not be criminal: when done by or at the direction of law enforcement in a criminal investigation consistent with state and federal law; by a parent or legal guardian to monitor their minor child in a vehicle they own or lease; to track stolen goods or a stolen vehicle; by a legally authorized representative of a vulnerable adult; with consent of all owners; by rental, sharing, or leasing companies for fleet management or customer services; by lienholders or their agents for repossession; and for voluntary usage-based insurance programs. The bill defines “vulnerable adult” and “voluntary usage-based insurance program” for purposes of these exceptions.
Impact
HB 1737 would add section 565.260 to Missouri’s criminal code in chapter 565, creating a new misdemeanor/felony offense tied to covert vehicle tracking. It would affect individuals, employers, insurers, lenders, rental and leasing companies, law enforcement, and family caregivers by setting out when electronic tracking devices may or may not be used in vehicles. The penalty structure makes a first offense a class A misdemeanor and any second or subsequent offense a class E felony.
Sentiment
Based on the available record, the bill appears to have been introduced and referred to the House Emerging Issues Committee, but there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials. As a result, there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate strong support or opposition. The bill’s structure suggests an effort to balance privacy concerns with practical exceptions for law enforcement, parents, lenders, insurers, and vehicle businesses.
Contention
The main policy tension in HB 1737 is between privacy and safety or business uses of tracking technology. The core prohibition targets nonconsensual tracking of vehicle occupants, which would likely appeal to privacy advocates and victims’ rights interests. Potential points of concern for opponents or affected stakeholders include the breadth of the consent requirement, the criminal penalties, and whether exceptions for parents, lienholders, insurers, and rental companies are sufficiently clear. Because no debate transcript is available, no specific legislator or stakeholder position is documented in the record provided.