[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2687 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 2687

To amend the anti-car theft provisions of title 49, United States Code 
to increase the utility of motor vehicle title information to State and 
       Federal law enforcement officials, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 29, 1995

 Mr. McCollum (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Coble, Mr. Heineman, Mr. 
 Bryant of Tennessee, and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the anti-car theft provisions of title 49, United States Code 
to increase the utility of motor vehicle title information to State and 
       Federal law enforcement officials, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Anti-Car Theft Improvements Act of 
1995''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Motor Vehicle.--Section 30501(1) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting before the period the following: ``and 
`motor vehicle' has the same meaning as the term `passenger motor 
vehicle' has in section 32101(10)''.
    (b) Operator.--Section 30501(6) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ``of this title, or the Secretary of 
Transportation'' and inserting ``or the National Stolen Passenger Motor 
Vehicle Information System under section 33109, or the Attorney 
General''.

SEC. 3. SYSTEM NAME AND IMPLEMENTATION DATE.

    (a) Section 30502.--Section 30502(a)(1) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``January 31, 1996'' and inserting 
        ``October 1, 1997'', and
            (2) by striking ``Automobile'' each place it occurs and 
        inserting ``Motor Vehicle''.
    (b) Section 30503.--Section 30503(d) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ``January 1, 1997'' and inserting 
``October 1, 1998''.

SEC. 4. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.

    (a) Secretary of Transportation.--Sections 30502, 30503, 30504, and 
30505 of title 49, United States Code, are each amended by striking 
each reference to ``Secretary of Transportation'' or ``Secretary'' and 
inserting ``Attorney General''.
    (b) Attorney General.--Section 30502 of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking each reference to ``Attorney General'' and 
inserting ``Secretary of Transportation''.

SEC. 5. TITLE INFORMATION SYSTEM OPERATOR IMMUNITY.

    Section 30502 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(f) Immunity.--Any person performing any activity under this 
section or sections 30503 or 30504 in good faith and with the 
reasonable belief that such activity was in accordance with this 
section or section 30503 or 30504, as the case may be, shall be immune 
from any civil action seeking money damages or equitable relief in any 
court of the United States or a State.''.

SEC. 6. STOLEN VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEM.

    Section 33109 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(d) Immunity.--Any person performing any activity under this 
section in good faith and with the reasonable belief that such activity 
was in accordance with this section shall be immune from any civil 
action seeking money damages or equitable relief in any court of the 
United States or a State.''.

SEC. 7. GRANTS TO STATES.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 30503(c)(2) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(2) The Attorney General may make reasonable and necessary grants 
to participating States to be used in making titling information 
maintained by those States available to the operator.''.
    (b) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out section 30503 of title 49, United 
States Code.
    (c) Information System.--The information system established under 
section 30502 of title 49, United States Code, shall be effective as 
provided in the rules promulgated by the Attorney General.
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