SB 323 - This act directs the Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Highway Patrol and the advisory committee created in the act, to promulgate rules regarding the towing of commercial vehicles no later than January 1, 2021. The rules shall ensure towing companies charge fair, equitable, and reasonable rates for services rendered, be made available on the Department's website, establish a list of factors the Department will use to determine whether a charge levied by a towing company is appropriate, establish a complaint and adjudication process, establish a process that may be used to suspend or remove a company from a tow list, and establish information required to be included on any invoice or notice associated with the towing of a commercial vehicle.
The act creates within the Department of Transportation the "Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee", consisting of the members specified in the act. The advisory committee shall hold its first meeting no later than November 1, 2019.
The Department of Transportation shall keep and maintain a record of all proceedings of the advisory committee, and copies of all orders issued by the advisory committee. At the discretion of the Director of the Department of Transportation, the advisory committee shall make recommendations regarding rules for the towing of commercial vehicles, provided that the Department of Transportation shall not be required to adopt any recommendation of the advisory committee.
This act is similar to HCS/HB 749 (2019), and HB 1101 (2019), and similar to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS#2/HCS/SCS/SB 147 (2019), provisions in SCS/HB 584 (2019), provisions in HCS/SB 371 (2019), and provisions in HCS/SB 21 (2019).
ERIC VANDER WEERD