Florida Senate - 2017 SB 1256
By Senator Campbell
38-01386-17 20171256__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the motor vehicle insurance online
3 verification system; creating s. 324.252, F.S.;
4 requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
5 Vehicles to establish a system for the online
6 verification of motor vehicle insurance; providing
7 system requirements; requiring insurers to cooperate
8 with the department in establishing and maintaining
9 the system; requiring the department to adopt rules;
10 amending s. 320.02, F.S.; providing requirements
11 relating to the registration of motor vehicles to
12 conform to changes made by the act; amending s.
13 324.0221, F.S.; providing requirements relating to the
14 reporting of insurance verification by insurers to
15 conform to changes made by the act; providing an
16 effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 324.252, Florida Statutes, is created to
21 read:
22 324.252 Motor vehicle insurance online verification
23 system.—
24 (1) The department shall establish an online verification
25 system for motor vehicle insurance, subject to the following:
26 (a) The verification system shall be accessible through the
27 Internet by authorized personnel of the department, the courts,
28 law enforcement personnel, any other entities authorized by the
29 department, and insurers authorized by the Office of Insurance
30 Regulation to offer motor vehicle insurance.
31 (b) The verification system shall provide for direct access
32 to insurers’ records by personnel authorized by the department.
33 (c) The department shall conduct a pilot program to test
34 the system before statewide use. However, the verification
35 system must be installed and operational by July 1, 2019.
36 (d) The verification system shall be available 24 hours a
37 day to verify the insurance status of any vehicle registered in
38 this state through the vehicle’s identification number, policy
39 number, registered owner’s name, or other identifying
40 characteristic or marker as prescribed by the department.
41 (e) The department may contract with a private vendor to
42 assist in establishing and maintaining the verification system.
43 (f) The verification system shall include appropriate
44 provisions, consistent with industry standards, to secure its
45 data against unauthorized access and to maintain a record of all
46 information requests.
47 (g) Information contained in the verification system that
48 is otherwise exempt from public disclosure remains confidential
49 or exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and remains exempt
50 from public disclosure.
51 (h) A law enforcement officer, during a traffic stop or
52 accident investigation, may access information from the online
53 verification system to establish compliance with this chapter
54 and to verify the current validity of the policy described on
55 any insurance identification card produced by the operator of a
56 motor vehicle during the traffic stop or accident investigation.
57 (2) Insurers must cooperate with the department in
58 establishing and maintaining the insurance verification system
59 and must provide access to motor vehicle insurance policy status
60 information.
61 (3) The department shall adopt rules to implement this
62 section.
63 Section 2. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (5) of
64 section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
65 320.02 Registration required; application for registration;
66 forms.—
67 (5)
68 (f) Upon implementation of the online verification system
69 in s. 324.252, the online verification shall replace the
70 procedures in this subsection and every registering agency shall
71 use the system unless the system is not online or the required
72 information is not available. In such a case, the registering
73 agency may accept verification as provided in this subsection to
74 certify the existence of the required insurance before
75 processing any application for motor vehicle registration.
76 Section 3. Subsection (4) is added to section 324.0221,
77 Florida Statutes, to read:
78 324.0221 Reports by insurers to the department; suspension
79 of driver license and vehicle registrations; reinstatement.—
80 (4) The department shall implement a method of insurance
81 verification, by rule, using the system in s. 324.252, which
82 shall be a method of determining verification after the
83 insurance verification provided at the time of registration of
84 the vehicle, after reinstatement for a suspension for a
85 violation of this chapter, or if the department believes an
86 owner or operator of a motor vehicle is not in compliance with
87 this chapter. The system shall provide procedures for direct
88 inquiry and response between the department and insurers.
89 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.