Assemblyman Spitzer to Introduce Legislation Aimed at Stopping Abuse of License Plates
Legislation Necessary to Pierce Shield of Confidential Records Program

SACRAMENTO--Assemblyman Spitzer (R-Orange) announced Monday that he will propose AB 996 to close the loophole that allows public employees with special license plates to commit traffic violations with impunity.

An Orange County Register investigation exposed the loophole, calling attention to over $5 million in toll road fines skirted by those with confidential plates.

"It is patently unfair and just plain wrong for someone who has a confidential plate to be able to hide behind that confidentiality to avoid penalties," said the Assemblyman. "Any other person would have to face the citation."

The Confidential Records Program was implemented to keep hidden the addresses of police officers. Over the program's 30-year history, however, it has been expanded to cover hundreds of thousands of public employees, as well as their children and spouses.

In addition to keeping their addresses private, public employees with undercover license plates enjoy a plethora of other benefits. For example, they can run red lights in dozens of camera-enforced intersections without citation, they can travel on automated toll lanes without penalty, and their parking tickets are often dropped due to extensive red tape.

"Clearly, it is paramount for California to protect police officers and other public servants at risk," said the Assemblyman, "but this egregious misuse of authority cannot be tolerated."

The Assemblyman has no intention of making private information readily available to the public. The legislation will simply hold all individuals to the same standard for traffic violations, irrespective of employment status.

AB 996 will address three issues in order to close the loophole. First, the bill will allow traffic citations for those with special license plates to be served at their place of employment. Another change the bill will make is to not start the statute of limitations for a traffic citation until the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides the relevant information to the enforcement agency. Finally, the bill will clarify the law to state that the DMV shall provide the necessary information to traffic enforcement agencies.

"At best, this is an example of public employees taking advantage of a gaping loophole in the law. At worst, it's a violation of the public trust," said Assemblyman Spitzer. "In either case, legislation is necessary to restore fairness to the system. No one should be able to escape the financial responsibility of their misconduct."