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BILL #

CHAPTER #

ISSUE

BILL DESCRIPTION

HB 1020

5

Civil Actions

Provides for recovery of costs in a case in which the plaintiff receives a judgment that is less than a rejected settlement offer; provides that if the plaintiff is the prevailing party, the final judgment shall include the amount of actual costs accrued prior to the offer of settlement. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1043

58

State Regulation

Codifies the existing Consumer Insurance Council within the Division of Insurance to operate as an advisory body to the Commissioner of Insurance concerning matters of interest to the public; relates to procedures of the council as well as council members and their terms. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1050

35

Motorcycles

Concerns motorcycle driver's license endorsements; establishes a motorcycle endorsement program for drivers' licenses, minor drivers' licenses, and instruction permits. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1069

54

Motor Vehicle Insurance -- Miscellaneous

Prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle on public lands, trails, or roads unless the land is signed for such use by the controlling land management agency; makes violation of the prohibition a misdemeanor; provides that if the person was engaged in hunting, fishing or trapping, a penalty of hunting license suspension points; specifies that the unauthorized destruction of a sign installed by the controlling land management agency is a misdemeanor; allows peace officers to enforce the prohibition. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1121

148

Commercial Auto

Prohibits the masking of convictions related to a commercial driver's license by prohibiting the sealing or expunging of records, redefining convicted or conviction to include an administrative determination, a forfeiture of bail, the payment of a fine and a violation of a condition of release without bail and prohibiting deferred judgments and diversion programs; limits a commercial instruction permit; requires notification of the Department of Revenue of a conviction related to a commercial license. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1166

79

Traffic Offenses

Repeals and reenacts, with amendments, the statute authorizing the Department of Revenue to revoke a person's driver's license due to the presence of alcohol or drugs in the person's system or the person's refusal to take a test to determine whether there is alcohol or drugs in the person's system. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

HB 1213

71

Producer Licensing

Concerns the continuation of the regulation of insurance producers by the division of insurance, and, in connection therewith, continuing the functions of the division of insurance related to the licensing of insurance producers until July 1, 2019; allowing insurance producers to obtain new crop hail lines of authority; eliminating the requirement that the commissioner of insurance reject the registration of any insurance producer whose name is similar to that of another registered insurance producer. Effective date: April 10, 2008.

HB 1228

169

Producer Licensure

Authorizes the Commissioner of Insurance to collect restitution from insurance producers and insurance companies for wrongful acts; requires an insurer to be financially responsible for the unfair business practices of an insurance producer authorized to sell a product or plan of the insurer, if the insurer knew or should have known about the unfair business practices. Effective date: July 21, 2008.

HB 1257

414

Commercial Auto

Authorizes permits to operate a motor vehicle with an overweight, divisible load if the vehicle has a quad axle grouping, the gross vehicle weight does not exceed a certain amount, and the owner and operator comply with the federal Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act and rules governing the distribution of weight in axles; imposes overweight load permit fees; doubles the fines for overweight and oversize vehicle loads under a permit issued for a divisible load. Effective date: June 3, 2008.

HB 1339

121

Traffic Safety

Concerns school bus safety signals requirements; replaces current statutory equipment standards for a school bus with the current federal regulation. Effective date: August 6, 2008.

HB 1360

201

Arson Investigators

Clarifies that a fire arson investigator authorized by a unit of local government is a peace officer while engaged in the performance of his or her duties. Effective date: May 1, 2008.

HB 1377

222

Bail Bonds

Requires bail in a specified amount for a person charged with felony vehicular eluding and driving under the influence arising out of the same occurrence. Effective date: May 14, 2008.

HB 1407

422

State Regulation

Increases the penalties that the Insurance Commissioner may impose for the violation of any law, rule, or order of the commissioner; prohibits an insurer from unreasonably delaying or denying a claim for payment of benefits by a claimant; provides remedies for unreasonable delay or denial of benefits; allows a claimant to recover twice the covered benefit; relates to policies and contracts for health, life, and disability benefits; relates to frivolous lawsuits. Effective date: September 5, 2008.

SB 11

411

Auto Coverage Issue

Concerns funding for uncompensated trauma care to persons injured in motor vehicle accidents in the state and, in connection therewith, establishes an emergency responders and trauma care reimbursement program, increases the fee for registering a motor vehicle to fund the program, and requires automobile insurance policies issued in the state to contain a specified amount of medical care coverage; provides content requirements for applications for motor vehicle coverage; relates to self insurance. Effective date: September 14, 2008.

SB 32

153

Bail Bonds

Permits a sworn bonding commissioner to apply to the court for a hearing on a breach or threatened breach of the conditions of a bail bond; requires a sworn bonding commissioner filing an application to notify the district attorney after filing the application. Effective date: July 17, 2008.

SB 50

180

Older Drivers

Raises the age of people who may renew a driver's license by mail or electronically if the person has had an eye exam within a certain number of years; authorizes people who are older than a specified age to renew their driver's licenses by mail if the person has had an eye exam within a certain number of months. Effective date: August 6, 2008.

SB 60

415

Auto Theft

Concerns the continuation of the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority and the Automobile Theft Prevention Board; creates a mandatory fee for insurers of automobiles to be paid to the authority and deposited in the State Auto Theft Prevention Cash Fund; requires each automobile insurer to annually report to the Board the number of vehicles it insures. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

SB 76

212

Bail Bonds

Authorizes a court to fix bail for a person charged with certain alcohol- or drug-related driving offenses even if the person is given a summons. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

SB 110

127

State Regulation

Allows the Commissioner of Insurance to adopt rules establishing monthly premium payments, in addition to quarterly, semiannual, and annual premium payments, for insureds under an automobile insurance policy; requires the commissioner to survey small group health benefit plan carriers biennially, rather than annually, for purposes of determining the range of health benefit plans available in the small group market. Effective date: July 10, 2008.

SB 134

248

Bail Bonds

Directs a percentage of forfeited bond moneys and fees for a person in this country illegally shall be deposited into the county jail assistance fund for the maintenance and operation of county jails; provides minimum bail requirements for distribution of controlled substances. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

SB 159

186

DUI

Lowers the blood alcohol limit at which a person operating a vessel is deemed to be under the influence from a blood alcohol content of 0.10 to 0.08; extends the scope of the law relating to the operation of a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating substances from motorboats and sailboats to all vessels. Effective date: August 6, 2008.

SB 207

323

Producer Licensure

Requires an application for an insurance producer examination to request demographic information from each applicant; requires the application to specify that an applicant does not have to provide information concerning gender, native language, or race or ethnicity; requires the Commissioner of Insurance to annually prepare and publish a report regarding the demographic information gathered from the application. Effective date: August 27, 2008.

SB 239

225

Traffic Offenses

Increases from a class 4 felony to a class 3 felony the penalty for leaving the scene of an accident involving death; provides statutory appropriations for correctional facilities. Effective date: July 1, 2008.

SB 241

357

Workers' Compensation

Amends provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act; allows for a prosthetic device; clarifies the medical services fee schedule; relates to awards for temporary total and temporary partial disability; relates to medical benefits based on a previous injury; relates to genetic, congenital, or similar condition; relates to the same body part when the person obtained a prior award; relates to reduction in recovery; relates to the reimbursement impacting the injured employee's benefits. Effective date: July 1, 2008.