By: Editorial Staff INDIANAPOLIS ? In the wake of a U.S. Senate stamp of approval on a federal transportation bill that would further limit public access to driver's license information, the Society of Professional Journalists (spj) passed at its 90th annual convention here a resolution asking President Clinton to veto the bill and to keep the roads to dmvs free of restrictions.
The $50-billion transportation appropriation bill ? approved by the Senate Oct. 4 and by the House a week earlier ? would provide highway funds only to states that restrict the sale of driver's license information for commercial use. spj said it opposed the federal initiative as well as any measures that may bestow special treatment and access to the media over the general public itself. The president is expected to sign the bill.
Congress has increasingly tightened the rules on drivers' licensing records. A recent amendment to the 1994 Drivers Privacy Protection Act forbids states from releasing personal information on drivers without permission. The amendment granted exceptions to insurance companies, direct marketers, and other businesses. spj has argued keeping license records open to the public at large helps to build safer communities.
spj's resolution stated: "The examination of motor-vehicle records by the media and the general public provides a public service by evaluating the driving history of school bus drivers, mass transit drivers, airline pilots, emergency medical technicians, and other persons involved in the transportation and protection of others."
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(copyright: Editor & Publisher October 9, 1999) [Caption]
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