NATIONAL MOTOR VEHICLE TITLE INFORMATION SYSTEM.

SEC. 202. NATIONAL MOTOR VEHICLE TITLE INFORMATION SYSTEM. (a) Information System.— (1) Establishment.— Not later than January 1996, the Secretary, in cooperation with the States, shall establish an information system (in this title referred to as the “National Motor Vehicle Title Information System”) which will enable States and others to gain instant and reliable access to information maintained by other States pertaining to the titling of automobiles, unless the Secretary determines that an existing information system meets the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of this section and will enable the Secretary to implement this title as early as possible and designates, in consultation with the Attorney General of the United States, such system as the information system for purposes of this title. In establishing the system, the Secretary, working with the Attorney General of the United States and the States, shall ascertain the extent to which title and related information to be included in the system will be adequate, timely, reliable, uniform, and capable of aiding in efforts to prevent the introduction or reintroduction into interstate commerce of stolen vehicles or parts. (2) Operation.— The Secretary may authorize the operation of the information system established or designated under paragraph (1) by contract through an agreement with a State or States, or by redesignating, after consultation with the States, a third party which represents the interests of the States. (3) Fees.— Operation of the information system established or designated under paragraph (1) shall be paid for by a system of user fees and should be self-sufficient and not be dependent on Federal funds. The amount of fees collected and retained subject to annual appropriation Acts, by the operator pursuant to this paragraph, not including fees collected by the operator and passed on to a State or other entity providing information to the operator, shall not exceed the costs of operating the system. (b) Minimum Functional Capabilities.— The information system established or designated under subsection (a)(1) shall, at a 106 STAT. 3391minimum, enable a user of the system instantly and reliably to determine— (1) the validity and status of a document purporting to be a certification of title, (2) whether an automobile bearing a known vehicle identification number is titled in a particular State, (3) whether an automobile known to be titled in a particular State is or has been a junk vehicle or a salvage vehicle, (4) for an automobile known to be titled in a particular State, the odometer reading information, as required in section 408 of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act (15 U.S.C. 1988), of such vehicle on the date its certificate of title was issued and such later odometer information, if noted by the State, and (5) whether an automobile bearing a known vehicle identification number has been reported as a junk vehicle or a salvage vehicle pursuant to section 204. (c) Availability of Information.— (1) To state.— Upon request of a participating State, the operator makes available to such State information in the information system pertaining to any automobile. (2) To law enforcement.— Upon request of a Federal, State, or local law enforcement official, the operator makes available to such official information in the information system pertaining to a particular automobile, salvage yard, or junk yard. (3) To prospective purchasers.— Upon request of a prospective purchaser of an automobile, including an auction company or an entity that is in the business of purchasing used automobiles, the operator makes available to such prospective purchaser information in the information system pertaining to such automobile. (4) To insurance carriers.— Upon request of a prospective or current insurer of an automobile, the operator makes avail-able to such prospective or current insurer information in the information system pertaining to such automobile. (5) Privacy.— Notwithstanding any provision of paragraphs (1) through (4), the operator shall release no information other than what is necessary to reasonably satisfy the requirements of subsection (b). In no event shall the operator collect an individual’s social security number or enable users of the information system to obtain an individual’s address or social security number.