Senate Bill sb0278

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278

    By Senator Wise





    5-230-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to motor vehicle liability

  3         insurance; amending s. 320.055, F.S.; providing

  4         for a 6-month vehicle registration for persons

  5         reinstating a driver's license that has been

  6         suspended for driving under the influence;

  7         requiring the Department of Highway Safety and

  8         Motor Vehicles to issue 6-month vehicle

  9         registration certificates and validation

10         stickers; specifying the amount of taxes and

11         fees which must be paid; amending s. 324.131,

12         F.S.; requiring persons whose license or

13         registration has been suspended or revoked due

14         to a violation of driving under the influence

15         to maintain, for 3 years, noncancelable

16         liability coverage as described in s.

17         627.7275(2), F.S.; authorizing the Department

18         of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to adopt a

19         form for proof of such coverage; amending s.

20         627.7275, F.S.; requiring insurers to make

21         available bodily injury and property damage

22         liability coverage that is noncancelable for a

23         certain period; providing an effective date.

24  

25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

26  

27         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 320.055, Florida

28  Statutes, is amended to read:

29         320.055  Registration periods; renewal periods.--The

30  following registration periods and renewal periods are

31  established:

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278
    5-230-04




 1         (1)(a)  For a motor vehicle subject to registration

 2  under s. 320.08(1), (2), (3), (5)(b), (c), (d), or (f),

 3  (6)(a), (7), (8), (9), or (10) and owned by a natural person,

 4  the registration period begins the first day of the birth

 5  month of the owner and ends the last day of the month

 6  immediately preceding the owner's birth month in the

 7  succeeding year.  If such vehicle is registered in the name of

 8  more than one person, the birth month of the person whose name

 9  first appears on the registration shall be used to determine

10  the registration period.  For a vehicle subject to this

11  registration period, the renewal period is the 30-day period

12  ending at midnight on the vehicle owner's date of birth.

13         (b)  Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (a),

14  the owner of a motor vehicle subject to paragraph (a) who has

15  had his or her driver's license suspended pursuant to a

16  violation of s. 316.193 or pursuant to s. 322.26(2) for

17  driving under the influence must obtain a 6-month registration

18  as a condition of reinstating the license, subject to renewal

19  during the 3-year period that financial responsibility

20  requirements apply. The registration period begins the first

21  day of the birth month of the owner and ends the last day of

22  the fifth month immediately following the owner's birth month.

23  For such vehicles, the department shall issue a vehicle

24  registration certificate that is valid for 6 months and shall

25  issue a validation sticker that displays an expiration date of

26  6 months after the date of issuance. The license tax required

27  by s. 320.08 and all other applicable license taxes shall be

28  one-half of the amount otherwise required, except that the

29  service fee required by s. 320.04 shall be paid in full for

30  each 6-month registration.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278
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 1         Section 2.  Section 324.131, Florida Statutes, is

 2  amended to read:

 3         324.131  Period of suspension.--Such license,

 4  registration and nonresident's operating privilege shall

 5  remain so suspended and shall not be renewed, nor shall any

 6  such license or registration be thereafter issued in the name

 7  of such person, including any such person not previously

 8  licensed, unless and until every such judgment is stayed,

 9  satisfied in full or to the extent of the limits stated in s.

10  324.021(7) and until the said person gives proof of financial

11  responsibility as provided in s. 324.031, such proof to be

12  maintained for 3 years. In addition, if the person's license

13  or registration has been suspended or revoked due to a

14  violation of s. 316.193 or pursuant to s. 322.26(2), that

15  person must maintain noncancelable liability coverage for each

16  motor vehicle registered in his or her name, as described in

17  s. 627.7275(2), and must present on a form adopted by the

18  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles proof that

19  coverage is in force, such proof to be maintained for 3 years.

20         Section 3.  Section 627.7275, Florida Statutes, is

21  amended to read:

22         627.7275  Motor vehicle property damage liability.--

23         (1)  A No motor vehicle insurance policy providing

24  personal injury protection as set forth in s. 627.736 may not

25  shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state with

26  respect to any specifically insured or identified motor

27  vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state unless

28  the policy also provides coverage for property damage

29  liability in the amount of at least $10,000 because of damage

30  to, or destruction of, property of others in any one accident

31  arising out of the use of the motor vehicle or unless the

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278
    5-230-04




 1  policy provides coverage in the amount of at least $30,000 for

 2  combined property damage liability and bodily injury liability

 3  in any one accident arising out of the use of the motor

 4  vehicle.  The policy, as to coverage of property damage

 5  liability, must shall meet the applicable requirements of s.

 6  324.151, subject to the usual policy exclusions that such as

 7  have been approved in policy forms by the office.

 8         (2)(a)  Insurers writing motor vehicle insurance in

 9  this state shall make available, subject to the insurers'

10  usual underwriting restrictions:,

11         1.  Coverage under policies as described in subsection

12  (1) of this section to any applicant for private passenger

13  motor vehicle insurance coverage who is seeking the coverage

14  in order to reinstate the applicant's driving privileges in

15  this state when the driving privileges were revoked or

16  suspended pursuant to s. 316.646 or s. 627.733 due to the

17  failure of the applicant to maintain required security; and.

18         2.  Coverage under policies as described in subsection

19  (1) and which also provides liability coverage for bodily

20  injury, death, and property damage arising out of the

21  ownership, maintenance, or use of the motor vehicle in an

22  amount not less than the limits described in s. 324.021(7) and

23  which conforms to the requirements of s. 324.151, to any

24  applicant for private passenger motor vehicle insurance

25  coverage who is seeking the coverage in order to reinstate the

26  applicant's driving privileges in this state after such

27  privileges were revoked or suspended under s. 316.193 or s.

28  322.26(2) for driving under the influence.

29         (b)  The policies described in paragraph (a) policy

30  shall be issued for a period of at least 6 months and as to

31  the minimum coverages required under this section shall not be

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278
    5-230-04




 1  cancelable by the insured for any reason or by the insurer

 2  after a period not to exceed 30 days during which the insurer

 3  must complete underwriting of the policy. After the insurer

 4  has completed underwriting the policy within the 30-day

 5  period, the insurer shall notify the Department of Highway

 6  Safety and Motor Vehicles that the policy is in full force and

 7  effect and the policy shall not be cancelable for the

 8  remainder of the policy period.  A premium shall be collected

 9  and coverage shall be in effect for the 30-day period during

10  which the insurer is completing the underwriting of the policy

11  whether or not the person's driver license, motor vehicle tag,

12  and motor vehicle registration are in effect.  Once the

13  noncancelable provisions of the policy become effective, the

14  coverage or risk shall not be changed during the policy period

15  and the premium shall be nonrefundable.  If, during the

16  pendency of the 2-year proof of insurance period required

17  under s. 627.733(7) or during the 3-year proof of financial

18  responsibilty required under s. 324.131, which ever is

19  applicable, the insured obtains additional coverage or

20  coverage for an additional risk or changes territories, the

21  insured must obtain a new 6-month noncancelable policy in

22  accordance with the provisions of this section. However, if

23  the insured must obtain a new 6-month policy and obtains the

24  policy from the same insurer, the policyholder shall receive

25  credit on the new policy for any premium paid on the

26  previously issued policy.

27         (c)(b)  The provisions of This subsection controls

28  shall control to the extent of any conflict with any other

29  section.

30         Section 4.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2004.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 278
    5-230-04




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 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Provides for 6-month registration of motor vehicles owned
      by persons whose driving privilege has been suspended for
 4    driving under the influence. Requires such persons to
      maintain liability coverage for bodily injury, death, and
 5    property damage which is noncancelable by the insured and
      requires insurers to make such coverage available.
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