Automobile insurance: assigned risk plans: low-cost automobile insurance.

(1) Existing law provides for the formation of the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan for automobile bodily injury and property damage liability insurance. The Insurance Commissioner, after a public hearing, is required to approve or issue a reasonable plan for the equitable apportionment, among insurers admitted to transact liability insurance, of those applicants for automobile bodily injury and property damage liability insurance who are, in good faith, entitled to but are unable to procure that insurance through ordinary methods. Notice of the public hearing is required to be published at least 60 days prior to the hearing or close of the public comment period on the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation, in 2 newspapers of general circulation, one published in the City and County of San Francisco, and the other published in the City of Los Angeles. This bill would delete the notice requirement, and require that the hearings be conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Existing law requires the assigned risk plan to provide for effective dates of coverage, consistent with the required elements, including execution of the application forms and an electronic effective date procedure established by the plan. The insurance application form is also required to include a disclosure regarding the effective date of coverage. This bill would modify the notice and the effective dates of coverage requirements, as provided. (2) Existing law establishes, within the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan, a low-cost automobile insurance program. Existing law establishes the low-cost automobile insurance program in several specified counties and makes the expansion to all other counties in California subject to a determination of need made by the commissioner following a public meeting, as specified. Existing law provides for the issuance of automobile liability policies pursuant to this program under specified terms and conditions, and provides that a policy so issued satisfies specified requirements regarding financial responsibility. Existing law provides that the low-cost automobile insurance program shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2011. This bill would provide that the low-cost automobile insurance program would remain in effect until January 1, 2016. Existing law requires the commissioner, on or before March 1 of each year, to prepare and propose a plan to the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, and Insurance and the Assembly Committee on Insurance setting forth the methods the commissioner intends to implement to inform households eligible for the program about the availability of low-cost automobile insurance. The plan is required to contain specified information, including the most recent annual report to the Legislature on the status of the low-cost automobile insurance program from the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan. This bill would delete the most recent annual report to the Legislature on the status of the low-cost automobile insurance program from the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan from the information required to be contained in the plan. (3) Existing law, on and after January 1, 2011, makes certain automobile insurance proof of financial responsibility requirements no longer applicable to people in the County of Los Angeles and the City and County of San Francisco. This bill would extend the repeal date to January 1, 2016. (4) This bill would make conforming changes and delete obsolete provisions.