AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

House of Representatives
HB5237 / File No. 410 1

General Assembly File No. 410
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5237

House of Representatives, April 7, 2026

The Committee on Transportation reported through REP.
BERGER-GIRVALO of the 111th Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-10 of the 2026 1
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 2
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(2) "Motor vehicle record" means any record that pertains to an 4
operator's license, instruction or learner's permit, identity card, 5
registration, certificate of title or any other document issued by the 6
Department of Motor Vehicles ; [. "Motor vehicle record" does not 7
include any record relating to vessels and certificates of title for vessels, 8
as provided in section 15-210;] 9
Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 14 -10 of the 2026 supplement to the 10
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 11
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 12
(f) The commissioner may disclose personal information from a 13
motor vehicle record to: 14
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(1) Any federal, state or local government agency in carrying out its 15
functions or to any individual or entity acting on behalf of any such 16
agency, [or] 17
(2) Any individual, organization or entity that signs and files with the 18
commissioner, under penalty of false statement as provided in section 19
53a-157b, a statement on a form approved by the commissioner, 20
together with such supporting documentation or information as the 21
commissioner may require, that such information will be used for any 22
of the following purposes: 23
(A) In connection with matters of motor vehicle or driver safety and 24
theft, motor vehicle emissions, motor vehicle product alterations, recalls 25
or advisories, performance monitoring of motor vehicles and dealers by 26
motor vehicle manufacturers, motor vehicle market research activities 27
including survey research, motor vehicle product and service 28
communications and removal of nonowner records from the original 29
owner records of motor vehicle manufacturers to implement the 30
provisions of the federal Automobile Information Disclosure Act, 15 31
USC 1231 et seq., the Clean Air Act, 42 USC 7401 et seq., and 49 USC 32
Chapters 301, 305 and 321 to 331, inclusive, as amended from time to 33
time, and any provision of the general statutes enacted to attain 34
compliance with said federal provisions; 35
(B) In the normal course of business by the requesting party, but only 36
to confirm the accuracy of personal information submitted by the 37
individual to the requesting party; 38
(C) In connection with any civil, criminal, administrative or arbitral 39
proceeding in any court or government agency or before any self -40
regulatory body, including the service of process, an investigation in 41
anticipation of litigation by an attorney-at-law or any individual acting 42
on behalf of an attorney -at-law and the execution or enforcement of 43
judgments and orders, or pursuant to an order of any court provided 44
the requesting party is a party in interest to such proceeding; 45
(D) In connection with matters of motor vehicle or driver safety and 46
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theft, motor vehicle emissions, motor vehicle product alterations, recalls 47
or advisories, performance monitoring of motor vehicles and motor 48
vehicle parts and dealers, producing statistical reports and removal of 49
nonowner records from the original owner records of motor vehicle 50
manufacturers, provided the personal information is not published, 51
disclosed or used to contact individuals except as permitted under 52
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision; 53
(E) By any insurer or insurance support organization or by a self -54
insured entity or its agents, employees or contractors, in connection 55
with the investigation of claims arising under insurance policies, 56
antifraud activities, rating or underwriting; 57
(F) In providing any notice required by law to owners or lienholders 58
named in the certificate of title of towed, abandoned or impounded 59
motor vehicles; 60
(G) By an employer or its agent or insurer to obtain or verify 61
information relating to a holder of a passenger endorsement or 62
commercial driver's license required under 49 USC Chapter 313, and 63
sections 14-44 to 14-44m, inclusive; 64
(H) In connection with any lawful purpose of a labor organization, as 65
defined in section 31-77, provided (i) such organization has entered into 66
a contract with the commissioner, on such terms and conditions as the 67
commissioner may require, and (ii) the information will be used only for 68
the purposes specified in the contract other than campaign or political 69
purposes; 70
(I) For bulk distribution for surveys, marketing or solicitations 71
provided the commissioner has obtained the express consent of the 72
individual to whom such personal information pertains; 73
(J) For the purpose of preventing fraud by verifying the accuracy of 74
personal information contained in a motor vehicle record, including an 75
individual's photograph or computerized image, as submitted by an 76
individual to a legitimate business or an agent, employee or contractor 77
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of a legitimate business, provided the individual has provided express 78
consent in accordance with subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of this 79
section; 80
(K) Inclusion of personal information about persons who have 81
indicated consent to become organ and tissue donors in a donor registry 82
established by a procurement organization, as defined in section 19a -83
289a; 84
(L) By any private detective or private detective licensed in 85
accordance with the provisions of chapter 534, in connection with an 86
investigation involving matters concerning motor vehicles; 87
(M) By a state marshal, for use in the performance of duties under the 88
provisions of section 6-38a. Such information including, but not limited 89
to, (i) operator photos, and (ii) records produced by providing an 90
operator's license number, number plate or vehicle identification 91
number, may be requested and provided to a state marshal 92
electronically, or by such other means, within a reasonable time. Such 93
records may be transmitted to a state marshal by means of an existing 94
electronic system used by the Department of Motor Vehicles for the 95
transmission of records. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may 96
charge a state marshal a reasonable annual fee for access to such records 97
and the use of such electronic system, or 98
(3) Any individual who provides proof of current ownership of a 99
vessel for the purpose of obtaining the name and address of the last 100
person who registered such vessel. 101
Sec. 3. Subsection (h) of section 14 -10 of the 2026 supplement to the 102
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 103
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 104
(h) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the disclosure of 105
personal information from a motor vehicle record pursuant to 106
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (f) of this section shall be subject to 107
the provisions of section 14 -50a concerning (1) the fees that shall be 108
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charged for copies of or information pertaining to motor vehicle records, 109
and (2) the authority of the commissioner to establish fees for 110
information furnished on a volume basis in accordance with such terms 111
and conditions regarding the use and distribution of such information 112
as the commissioner may prescribe. 113
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) of section 15 -144 of the general statutes is 114
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 115
1, 2026): 116
(a) (1) Any owner desiring to obtain a vessel registration number or 117
registration decal shall apply to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles 118
and shall file such proof of ownership of the vessel as the commissioner 119
may require. Upon receipt of an application in proper form and the 120
numbering fee, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall assign a 121
registration number or registration decal and provide the owner with a 122
temporary certificate of number or temporary certificate of decal. The 123
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall issue two registration decals and 124
a permanent certificate. 125
(2) A registration decal shall be displayed on each side of the vessel 126
at the bow in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Energy and 127
Environmental Protection. The certificate shall state the name of the 128
owner, [his] the owner's address, a description of the vessel, its hull 129
identification number, the expiration date of the certificate and such 130
other information as the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 131
Protection may prescribe by regulations. Such certificate shall be carried 132
aboard and shall be available for inspection upon the vessel for which it 133
is issued whenever the owner or any person authorized by [him] the 134
owner is aboard such vessel, except that the certificate of number for a 135
vessel which is less than twenty -six feet and which is rented for 136
noncommercial purposes for less than twenty -four hours may be 137
retained on shore by the owner of such vessel or [his] the owner's agent 138
at the place where such vessel departs or returns. If such certificate is 139
retained on shore, a rental agreement signed by the owner or [his] the 140
owner's agent and by the person renting the vessel shall be carried 141
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aboard such vessel and shall be available for inspection. Such rental 142
agreement shall contain the vessel number which appears on the 143
certificate of number and the length of time for which such vessel is 144
rented. 145
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 1 -217 and 14 -10, as 146
amended by this act, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 147
Protection may disclose, at no cost, the name and address of the last 148
person who registered a vessel to any individual who provides proof of 149
current ownership of such vessel. 150
Sec. 5. Subsection (h) of section 15 -144 of the general statutes is 151
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 152
1, 2026): 153
(h) (1) Any person who operates or any owner who permits the 154
operation of a vessel on the waters of this state which has not been 155
numbered or registered in accordance with the provisions of this 156
chapter and any other applicable section of the general statutes shall 157
have committed a violation and shall be fined not less than twenty -five 158
dollars or more than two hundred dollars for the first offense and for 159
each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars 160
or more than five hundred dollars. (2) No person shall use any vessel 161
registration or registration decals that have been issued to another 162
person pursuant to this section and sections 15-142 [to 15-144, inclusive] 163
and 15 -143. No person shall use a vessel registration or registration 164
decals on any vessel other than the vessel for which such registration 165
number or registration decals have been issued. Any person who 166
violates any provision of this subdivision shall be fined not more than 167
two hundred fifty dollars. (3) Any officer empowered to enforce the 168
provisions of this chapter and any other applicable section of the general 169
statutes who finds a vessel which is not numbered or registered in 170
accordance with the provisions of this chapter and such discovery is 171
subsequent to a violation of this chapter may make application to the 172
court for a warrant to seize such vessel and take it into custody pending 173
proof of payment of proper numbering or registration fees. No officer 174
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shall be liable for any act performed under the provisions of this 175
subsection. 176
Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 14 -15e of the 2026 supplement to the 177
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 178
thereof (Effective from passage): 179
(a) (1) For the purposes of this section, "Commissioner of Motor 180
Vehicles" or "commissioner" means the Commissioner of Motor 181
Vehicles or any employee of the Department of Motor Vehicles who is 182
acting for, or on behalf of, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 183
[(a) (1)] (2) Except as provided in subdivision [(2)] (3) of this 184
subsection, no person, firm or corporation shall engage in the business 185
of electronically filing applications for the issuance of a certificate of 186
registration or a certificate of title for motor vehicles with the 187
Department of Motor Vehicles, unless such person, firm or corporation 188
holds an electronic issuance license issued by the Commissioner of 189
Motor Vehicles. 190
[(2)] (3) A motor vehicle dealer licensed in accordance with section 191
14-52 and acting pursuant to subsection (c) of section 14 -12, subsection 192
(b) of section 14 -61 or section 14 -61a, a person, firm or corporation 193
engaging in the business of leasing or renting motor vehicles without 194
drivers in this state and acting pursuant to section 14-15 or a contractor 195
authorized pursuant to subsection (b) of section 14 -41, may use the 196
department's electronic system for filing applications for the issuance of 197
a certificate of registration or certificate of title, as the case may be, 198
without obtaining an electronic issuance license. The commissioner 199
shall not issue an electronic issuance license to any such motor vehicle 200
dealer, person, firm or corporation or contractor. 201
[(3)] (4) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may require any 202
person, firm or corporation that files, on average, five or more 203
applications for the issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate 204
of title for motor vehicles each month with the Department of Motor 205
Vehicles to file such applications electronically and obtain an electronic 206
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issuance license. Any such person, firm or corporation that fails or 207
refuses to file an application for such issuance electronically upon the 208
request of the commissioner shall pay a fee of twenty-five dollars to the 209
commissioner for each such application submitted. 210
Sec. 7. Section 14 -52a of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 211
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 212
passage): 213
(a) For the purposes of this section, "Commissioner of Motor 214
Vehicles" or "commissioner" means the Commissioner of Motor 215
Vehicles or any employee of the Department of Motor Vehicles who is 216
acting for, or on behalf of, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 217
[(a)] (b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may, after notice and 218
hearing, refuse to grant or renew a license to a person, firm or 219
corporation to engage in the business of selling or repairing motor 220
vehicles pursuant to the provisions of section 14 -52 if any individual 221
named in an application for the issuance of such license has been found 222
liable in a civil action for odometer fraud or operating a dealer, repairer 223
or motor vehicle recycler business without a license, convicted of a 224
violation of any provision of laws pertaining to the business of a motor 225
vehicle dealer or repairer, including a motor vehicle recycler, or 226
convicted of any violation of any provision of laws involving fraud, 227
larceny or deprivation or misappropriation of property, in the courts of 228
the United States or any state. Upon renewal of such license, a licensee 229
shall make full disclosure of any such civil judgment or conviction 230
under penalty of false statement. Each individual named in an 231
application, on a form as prescribed by the commissioner, for the 232
issuance of such a license shall submit to fingerprint -based state and 233
national criminal history records checks conducted in accordance with 234
section 29 -17a. The commissioner may require a person, firm or 235
corporation to submit its application electronically. 236
[(b)] (c) The commissioner shall not, after notice and hearing, grant 237
or renew a license to an applicant for or the holder of a used car dealer's 238
license that is delinquent in the payment of sales tax in connection with 239
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a business from which it is or was obligated to remit sales tax, as 240
reported to the commissioner by the Department of Revenue Services. 241
Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 14 -73 of the 2026 supplement to the 242
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 243
thereof (Effective from passage): 244
(a) (1) For the purposes of this section, "Commissioner of Motor 245
Vehicles" or "commissioner" means the Commissioner of Motor 246
Vehicles or any employee of the Department of Motor Vehicles who is 247
acting for, or on behalf of, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 248
[(a) (1)] (2) No person shall be employed by a drivers' school to give 249
instruction in driving a motor vehicle unless such person is licensed to 250
act as an instructor or master instructor by the Commissioner of Motor 251
Vehicles. 252
[(2)] (3) The drivers' school employing an instructor's licensee or a 253
master instructor's licensee shall be responsible for ensuring any such 254
licensee is in compliance with the requirements of this part and any 255
regulations adopted under section 14-78. 256
Sec. 9. Section 14 -178 of the general statutes is repealed and the 257
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 258
(a) If a certificate of title of a vehicle is lost, stolen, mutilated or 259
destroyed or becomes illegible, the first lienholder or, if none, the owner 260
or legal representative of the owner named in the certificate, as shown 261
by the records of the commissioner, shall promptly make application for 262
and may obtain a replacement upon furnishing information, including 263
personal identification acceptable and satisfactory to the commissioner. 264
Upon receiving an application for a replacement, the commissioner shall 265
check the identification number of the vehicle shown in the application 266
against the record of vehicles required to be maintained by section 14 -267
173 and against the record of stolen and converted vehicles required to 268
be maintained by section 14-197. 269
(b) The replacement certificate of title shall contain the legend "This 270
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is a replacement title and may be subject to the rights of a person under 271
the original certificate." Except as provided in subsection (b) of section 272
14-175, the commissioner shall present or mail the replacement 273
certificate to the first lienholder named in the replacement certificate or, 274
if none, to the owner. 275
[(b)] (c) A person recovering an original certificate of title for which a 276
replacement has been issued shall promptly surrender the original 277
certificate to the commissioner. 278
Sec. 10. Subsection (a) of section 10-29a of the 2026 supplement to the 279
general statutes is amended by adding subdivision (139) as follows 280
(Effective from passage): 281
(NEW) (139) The Governor shall proclaim the second Monday in July 282
of each year as Accessible Parking Awareness Day, to promote the value 283
of accessible parking, encourage responsible use of accessible parking 284
spaces and strengthen public education and collaboration. Suitable 285
exercises may be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the 286
Governor designates for the observance of the day. 287
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 14-10(a)(2)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 14-10(f)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2026 14-10(h)
Sec. 4 October 1, 2026 15-144(a)
Sec. 5 October 1, 2026 15-144(h)
Sec. 6 from passage 14-15e(a)
Sec. 7 from passage 14-52a
Sec. 8 from passage 14-73(a)
Sec. 9 October 1, 2026 14-178
Sec. 10 from passage 10-29a(a)(139)

TRA Joint Favorable

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either cha mber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill makes changes to the motor vehicle statues that are either
minor, technical, or otherwise do not have a fiscal impact. It also
requires the governor to proclaim the second Monday in July each year
as Accessible Parking Awareness Day , which does not have a fiscal
impact.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5237

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) statutes:
1. generally subjects records relating to vessels and vessel titles to
the privacy protections that apply to personal information in
DMV records under existing law, but allows the disclosure of
certain information to a vessel owner (§§ 1-5);
2. specifies that “commissioner” refers only to the commissioner or
a DMV employee acting on his behalf in several statutes
governing background check requirements (§§ 6-8); and
3. requires DMV, before issuing a replacement title, to check the
vehicle’s vehicle identification number ( VIN) against certain
databases (§ 9).
The bill also requires the governor to proclaim the second Monday in
July each year as Accessible Parking Awareness Day. He must do so to
promote accessible parking’s value, encourage responsible use, and
strengthen public education and collaboration. The bill allows suitable
exercises to be held in the State Capitol and other locations, as the
governor designates, to observe the day (§ 10).
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026, except the provisions on
background checks and the awareness day are effective upon passage.
§§ 1-5 — VESSEL RECORD PRIVACY
Existing law generally prohibits DMV from disclosing personal
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information contained in its records unless the disclosure is specifically
authorized by state law. The prohibition applies to records related to
any DMV -issued document, including driver’s licenses, learner’s
permits, identity cards, registrations, and ti tle certificates, but current
law specifically excludes records relating to vessels or vessel titles.
(Although boating and vessel regulation generally falls under the
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), DMV
handles vessel registration and titles.)
The bill eliminates this exclusion and, in doing so, prohibits DMV
from disclosing personal information in vessel-related records unless it
is disclosed for a purpose authorized in law. It also (1) expands the
circumstances under which disclosure is permitted by allowing DMV to
disclose the name and address of the person who last registered a vessel
to anyone who proves they currently own it and (2) specifically allows
DEEP to do the same.
§§ 6 -8 — DEFINITION OF “COMMISSIONER” IN CERTAIN LAWS
AUTHORIZING BACKGROUND CHECKS
Generally, for the purposes of motor vehicle laws, the term
“commissioner” refers to the DMV commissioner and any assistant to
the commissioner who is designated and authorized by the
commissioner and is acting for the commissioner under a designation.
The bill specifies that “commissioner” refers only to the DMV
commissioner and to DMV employees acting on his behalf for the
purposes of statutes on electronic issuance licensees (§ 6), dealer and
repairer licensees (§ 7), and driving instructor licensees (§ 8). Each of
these sections require applicants to undergo a fingerprint -based
national criminal records check. Under P.L. 92-544, the FBI requires state
laws requiring national criminal records checks to meet several criteria
before the state may receive criminal history record information from
the FBI. Among other things, statutes requiring these records check s
may not authorize the receipt of criminal history record information by
a private entity.

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§ 9 — REPLACEMENT TITLES
By law, before issuing an original title certificate, DMV must check
the vehicle’s VIN against DMV’s title records and its record s of stolen,
recovered, unclaimed, and abandoned vehicles. (In practice, DMV
implemented the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System,
which is a consolidated database of vehicle title information submitted
by states that helps identify vehicle fraud and theft.)
The bill additionally requires DMV to run this check before issuing a
replacement title certificate.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Transportation Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 36 Nay 0 (03/16/2026)