H. R. 2803

One Hundred Fourth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,

the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six

An Act

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 1996’’.

SEC. 2. SYSTEM NAME AND IMPLEMENTATION DATE.

(a) SYSTEM DATE.—Section 30502(a)(1) of title 49, United States

Code, is amended by striking ‘‘January 31, 1996’’ and inserting

‘‘December 31, 1997’’.

(b) SECTION 30503.—Section 30503(d) of title 49, United States

Code, is amended by striking ‘‘January 1, 1997’’ and inserting

‘‘October 1, 1998’’.

(c) SYSTEM NAME.—Chapter 305 of title 49, United States Code,

is amended by striking ‘‘National Automobile Title Information

System’’ each place it occurs in the chapter heading, the table

of sections for chapter 305, the section heading for section 30502,

and in the texts of sections 30502 and 30503 and inserting ‘‘National

Motor Vehicle Title Information System’’.

SEC. 3. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.

(a) SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION.—Sections 30501, 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. 4. TITLE INFORMATION SYSTEM.

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 respecting such activity which is

seeking money damages or equitable relief in any court of the

United States or a State.’’.
H. R. 2803—2

SEC. 5. 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 or section 33110 or 33111 in good faith and with the reasonable belief that such activity was in accordance with such section

shall be immune from any civil action respecting such activity

which is seeking money damages or equitable relief in any court

of the United States or a State.’’.

SEC. 6. 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 sections 30503 and

33109 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.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.