Provides that the commissioner of motor vehicles shall affix a cost for the sale of registration lists and title information or other records in bulk at the annual cost not to exceed $1,520,000; authorizes such commissioner to impose other requirements; makes related provisions.
This bill amends the Vehicle and Traffic Law to change how the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may contract for the sale of bulk registration lists, title information, and related records. It replaces the current “highest responsible bidder” language with authority to contract with any successful bidder or bidders, limits such contracts to no more than two years, and sets a fixed annual cost cap of $1,520,000 for the sale of certain bulk lists or records. The bill also preserves existing restrictions on assignment, resale, and use of the information in ways contrary to state public policy, morals, or welfare.
The bill further expands the commissioner’s authority to impose conditions on these contracts. It allows requirements such as a performance bond, prohibitions on resale of personal information for extended vehicle warranty marketing, liability and cyber-threat insurance, contractual obligations for third parties to comply with federal and state law, industry-standard security protections, and annual reporting of downstream disclosures. It also adds a new provision authorizing bulk access to vehicle accident report information and emissions information for use in vehicle history reports, with the combined cost of that information capped at 30 percent of the bulk title and registration fee and with personal information excluded from the bulk data set.
The bill would directly amend section 202 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, affecting the Department of Motor Vehicles’ authority to sell or contract for bulk vehicle registration, title, accident, and emissions data. It establishes a fixed pricing framework for bulk records, adds new contracting and security requirements, and creates new limitations and compliance obligations for vendors and downstream recipients. Vehicle data vendors, insurers, self-insured entities, and other entities that use DMV records would be affected by the new fee structure, disclosure rules, and data-protection conditions.
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote history, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate broad support or opposition. Based on the bill text, the measure appears designed to modernize and regulate the sale of DMV data while preserving access for legitimate uses such as insurance, recalls, and vehicle history reporting. The overall tone of the proposal is administrative and consumer-protective, emphasizing pricing limits, privacy safeguards, and cybersecurity requirements.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the fixed annual cost cap, the expanded authority to sell additional categories of data, and the privacy implications of allowing broader bulk access to vehicle records. Privacy advocates may focus on the handling of personal information, downstream disclosure, and the exceptions allowing use by insurers and self-insured entities for claims, antifraud, rating, and underwriting. By contrast, data vendors, insurers, and vehicle history report providers may support the bill’s clearer pricing and authorization structure but could object to added insurance, bonding, reporting, and security compliance requirements.