To repeal sections 303.025, 303.026, 303.043, 303.044, 303.070, 303.290 and 379.203, RSMo 1994, relating to motor vehicle financial responsibility, and to enact in lieu thereof eight new sections relating to the same subject.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS:

     Section A. Sections 303.025, 303.026, 303.043, 303.044, 303.070, 303.290 and 379.203, RSMo 1994, are repealed and eight new sections enacted in lieu thereof to be known as sections 303.015, 303.025, 303.026, 303.043, 303.044, 303.070, 303.290 and 379.203, to read as follows:

     303.015. No county, city, town or village in this state may impose requirements or penalties for motor vehicle financial responsibility which are greater than the requirements and penalties under state law.

303.025. 1. No owner of a motor vehicle registered in this state or required to be registered in this state shall operate the vehicle, or authorize any other person to operate the vehicle, unless the owner maintains the financial responsibility as required in this section. Furthermore, no person shall operate a motor vehicle owned by another with the knowledge that the owner has not maintained financial responsibility unless such person has financial responsibility which covers his operation of the other's vehicle.

2. A motor vehicle owner shall maintain his financial responsibility in a manner provided for in section 303.160, or with a motor vehicle liability policy which conforms to the requirements of the laws of this state.

3. Nothing in sections 303.010 to 303.050, 303.060, 303.140, 303.220, 303.290, 303.330 and 303.370 shall be construed as prohibiting the division of insurance from approving or authorizing those exclusions and limitations which are contained in automobile liability insurance policies and the uninsured motorist provisions of automobile liability insurance policies.

303.026. 1. The director shall inform each owner who registers a motor vehicle of the following:

(1) The existence of the requirement that every motor vehicle owner in the state maintain his financial responsibility;

     (2) The requirement that every motor vehicle owner show an insurance identification card, or a copy thereof, or other proof of financial responsibility in effect at the time of vehicle registration; this notice shall be given at least thirty days prior to the month for renewal and shall be shown in bold, colored print;

[(2)] (3) The penalties which apply to violations of the requirement to maintain financial responsibility;

[(3)] (4) The benefits of maintaining coverages in excess of those which are required;

[(4)] (5) The director's authority to conduct samples of Missouri motor vehicle owners to insure compliance.

2. No motor vehicle owner shall be issued registration for a vehicle unless the owner, or his authorized agent, signs [a statement] a declaration provided by the director of revenue at the time of registration of the vehicle certifying that such owner has and will maintain, during the period of registration, financial responsibility with respect to each motor vehicle that is owned, licensed or operated on the streets or highways. The declaration shall state clearly and in bold print the following: "Any false declaration is a crime under section 575.060 of Missouri law." In addition, every motor vehicle owner shall show proof of such financial responsibility by presenting his or her insurance identification card, as described in section 303.024, or a copy thereof, or some other proof of financial responsibility in the form prescribed by the director of revenue at the time of registration unless such owner registers his vehicle in conjunction with a reciprocity agreement entered into by the Missouri highway reciprocity commission pursuant to sections 301.271 to 301.279, RSMo or unless the owner insures the vehicle according to the requirements of the division of transportation pursuant to section 390.126, RSMo.

3. The director shall annually select for financial responsibility verification, a sample of the motor vehicle registrations or licenses which is statistically significant to determine the number of insured motorists in the state of Missouri, or to insure compliance. The director may utilize a variety of sampling techniques including but not limited to the processing of uniform traffic tickets, point system warning letters, and random surveys of motor vehicle registrations.

4. Upon determination that the information provided by the owner or authorized agent is inaccurate, the director shall notify the owner of the need to provide, within thirty days, information establishing the existence of the required financial responsibility as of the date of such notice. Failure to provide such information shall result in the suspension of all registrations of the owner's motor vehicles failing to meet such requirements, as is provided in section 303.041.

     5. Any motor vehicle owner or operator who has his or her motor vehicle liability insurance cancelled for any reason shall notify the director of revenue of the cancellation within fourteen days and file evidence of current liability insurance as required in this section.

     303.043. Whenever a suspension is imposed under section 303.041, [the following] a reinstatement [fees] fee of twenty dollars shall be paid before the license may be reinstated. [prior to the end of the period of suspension provided in subsection 2 of section 303.042, and in the event such reinstatement fees are not paid the period of suspension shall be extended until such fees have been paid:

(1) If the person's driving record shows no prior failure to maintain the required financial responsibility as provided for in section 303.025, the reinstatement fee shall be two hundred dollars;

(2) If the person's driving record shows one prior suspension for failure to maintain the required financial responsibility as provided for in section 303.025, the reinstatement fee shall be four hundred dollars;

(3) If the person's driving record shows two or more prior suspensions for failure to maintain the required financial responsibility as provided for in section 303.025, the reinstatement fee shall be eight hundred dollars.]

     303.044. 1. After the period of suspension provided in section 303.042 has elapsed, the owner or operator, or both, whose license or registration has been suspended must file proof of financial responsibility for a period of three years thereafter with respect to all motor vehicles registered to him, except as provided in subsection 2 of this section. If proof of financial responsibility is not maintained during the three-year period to the satisfaction of the director, he shall again suspend the license and all registrations until the owner or operator shall thereafter maintain proof of financial responsibility as set out herein.

     2. An owner or operator of a motor vehicle need not provide proof of financial responsibility for a three-year period if he can show that he is maintaining financial responsibility at the time of reinstatement and failed to maintain the required financial responsibility for less than a sixty-day period.

     303.070. The requirements as to security and suspension in [section] sections 303.030 and 303.040 shall not apply:

     (1) To the operator or the owner of a motor vehicle involved in an accident wherein no injury or damage was caused to the person or property of anyone other than such operator or owner;

     (2) To the owner of a motor vehicle if at the time of the accident the vehicle was being operated without his permission, express or implied, or was parked by a person who had been operating such motor vehicle without such permission; nor

     (3) To the owner or operator of a motor vehicle at fault or contributorily negligent in an accident solely involving property damages where the owner or operator has fully paid for all damages for which he or she is responsible within sixty days after the accident and where evidence of such damages and payment is filed with the director;

     [(3)] (4) If, prior to the date that the director would otherwise suspend the license and registration or nonresident's operating privilege under section 303.030, there shall be filed with the director evidence satisfactory to him that the person who would otherwise be required to file security has been released from liability or been finally adjudicated not to be liable or has executed a duly acknowledged written agreement providing for the payment of an agreed amount in installments, with respect to all claims for injuries or damages resulting from the accident.

     303.290. 1. The director of revenue shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter and may make rules and regulations necessary for its administration and shall provide for hearings upon request of persons aggrieved by orders or acts of the director under the provisions of this chapter. Upon receipt of a request for an administrative hearing the director of revenue shall reach a final decision including findings of fact and conclusions of law within [ninety] one hundred and twenty days after the date of the hearing.

2. Any decision, finding or order of the director, under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to review by appeal to the circuit court of the county of the residence of the licensee, at the instance of any party in interest, in the manner provided by chapter 536, RSMo, at any time within thirty days after notice is given the licensee of such decision, finding or order. Upon such appeal the cause shall be heard de novo and the circuit court may determine the reasonableness of the director's decision, finding or order, and in disposing of the issues before it may modify, affirm, or reverse the decision, finding or order in whole or in part. Appeals from the judgment of the circuit court may be taken as in civil cases. The prosecuting attorney of the county where such appeal is taken shall appear in behalf of the director, and prosecute or defend as the case may require.

     379.203. 1. No automobile liability insurance covering liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of any motor vehicle shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state with respect to any motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state unless coverage is [provided therein or supplemental thereto, or in the case of any commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 301.010, RSMo, any employer having a fleet of five or more passenger vehicles, such coverage is] offered therein or supplemental thereto, in not less than the limits for bodily injury or death set forth in section 303.030, RSMo, for the protection of persons insured thereunder who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, including death, resulting therefrom. Such legal entitlement exists although the identity of the owner or operator of the motor vehicle cannot be established because such owner or operator and the motor vehicle departed the scene of the occurrence occasioning such bodily injury, sickness or disease, including death, before identification. It also exists whether or not physical contact was made between the uninsured motor vehicle and the insured or the insured's motor vehicle. Provisions affording such insurance protection against uninsured motorists issued in this state prior to October 13, 1967, shall, when afforded by any authorized insurer, be deemed, subject to the limits prescribed in this section, to satisfy the requirements of this section.

     2. For the purpose of this coverage, the term "uninsured motor vehicle" shall, subject to the terms and conditions of such coverage, be deemed to include an insured motor vehicle where the liability insurer thereof is unable to make payment with respect to the legal liability of its insured within the limits specified herein because of insolvency.

     3. An insurer's insolvency protection shall be applicable only to accidents occurring during a policy period in which its insured's uninsured motorist coverage is in effect where the liability insurer of the tortfeasor becomes insolvent within two years after such an accident. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent any insurer from affording insolvency protection under terms and conditions more favorable to its insureds than is provided hereunder.

     4. In the event of payment to any person under the coverage required by this section, and subject to the terms and conditions of such coverage, the insurer making such payment shall, to the extent thereof, be entitled to the proceeds of any settlement or judgment resulting from the exercise of any rights of recovery of such person against any person or organization legally responsible for the bodily injury for which such payment is made, including the proceeds recoverable from the assets of the insolvent insurer; provided, however, with respect to payments made by reason of the coverage described in subsections 2 and 3 above, the insurer making such payment shall not be entitled to any right of recovery against such tortfeasor in excess of the proceeds recovered from the assets of the insolvent insurer of said tortfeasor.

     5. In any action on a policy of automobile liability insurance coverage providing for the protection of persons insured thereunder who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles, the fact that the owner or operator of such uninsured motor vehicle whether known or unknown failed to file the report required by section 303.040, RSMo, shall be prima facie evidence of uninsured status, and such failure to file may be established by a statement of the absence of such a report on file with the office of the director of revenue, certified by the director, which statement shall be received in evidence in any of the courts of this state. In any such action, the report required by section 303.040, RSMo, when filed by the owner or operator of an uninsured motor vehicle, shall be prima facie evidence of lack of insurance coverage and the report, or a copy thereof, certified by the director of revenue, may be introduced into evidence in accordance with section 303.310, RSMo.