Alerts

UPDATE May, 25, 2021: Bill died in chamber.

This bill was introduced in the Virginia Senate on January 11, 2021. It passed a Senate vote 28 to 11 on February 4, 2021 and was sent to the State House. SB 1198 was originally referred to the House Committee on Public Safety, and on February 8, 2021, was continued to Special Session 1 by a voice vote.

The NMA supports this legislative in its proposed form. While we are opposed to the use of automated license plate readers (ALPR)because of surveillance/privacy concerns, SB 1198 includes conditions that are essential to protect motorists from the misuse and abuse of their data, including:

• Law enforcement and regulatory agencies can’t use ALPRs to collect and maintain personal information on individuals without a warrant,
• Collected data must be promptly evaluated for potential use in investigating suspected criminal activity, civil or regulatory violations, or terrorism,
• Collected data may only be retained for 30 days and shall not be subject to any outside inquiries  or internal use except for the investigation of a missing person.