Act No. 449

Public Acts of 2016

Approved by the Governor

January 4, 2017

Filed with the Secretary of State

January 5, 2017

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 5, 2018

STATE OF MICHIGAN

98TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2016

Introduced by Rep. Smiley

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4427

AN ACT to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled “An act to revise, consolidate, and classify the laws relating to the insurance and surety business; to regulate the incorporation or formation of domestic insurance and surety companies and associations and the admission of foreign and alien companies and associations; to provide their rights, powers, and immunities and to prescribe the conditions on which companies and associations organized, existing, or authorized under this act may exercise their powers; to provide the rights, powers, and immunities and to prescribe the conditions on which other persons, firms, corporations, associations, risk retention groups, and purchasing groups engaged in an insurance or surety business may exercise their powers; to provide for the imposition of a privilege fee on domestic insurance companies and associations and the state accident fund; to provide for the imposition of a tax on the business of foreign and alien companies and associations; to provide for the imposition of a tax on risk retention groups and purchasing groups; to provide for the imposition of a tax on the business of surplus line agents; to provide for the imposition of regulatory fees on certain insurers; to provide for assessment fees on certain health maintenance organizations; to modify tort liability arising out of certain accidents; to provide for limited actions with respect to that modified tort liability and to prescribe certain procedures for maintaining those actions; to require security for losses arising out of certain accidents; to provide for the continued availability and affordability of automobile insurance and homeowners insurance in this state and to facilitate the purchase of that insurance by all residents of this state at fair and reasonable rates; to provide for certain reporting with respect to insurance and with respect to certain claims against uninsured or self-insured persons; to prescribe duties for certain state departments and officers with respect to that reporting; to provide for certain assessments; to establish and continue certain state insurance funds; to modify and clarify the status, rights, powers, duties, and operations of the nonprofit malpractice insurance fund; to provide for the departmental supervision and regulation of the insurance and surety business within this state; to provide for regulation over worker’s compensation self-insurers; to provide for the conservation, rehabilitation, or liquidation of unsound or insolvent insurers; to provide for the protection of policyholders, claimants, and creditors of unsound or insolvent insurers; to provide for associations of insurers to protect policyholders and claimants in the event of insurer insolvencies; to prescribe educational requirements for insurance agents and solicitors; to provide for the regulation of multiple employer welfare arrangements; to create an automobile theft prevention authority to reduce the number of automobile thefts in this state; to prescribe the powers and duties of the automobile theft prevention authority; to provide certain powers and duties upon certain officials, departments, and authorities of this state; to provide for an appropriation; to repeal acts and parts of acts; and to provide penalties for the violation of this act,” by amending section 2103 (MCL 500.2103), as amended by 2002 PA 492.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 2103. (1) “Eligible person”, for automobile insurance, means a person who is an owner or registrant of an automobile registered or to be registered in this state or who holds a valid license to operate a motor vehicle issued by this state, but does not include any of the following:

(a) A person who is not required to maintain security under section 3101, unless the person intends to reside in this state for 30 days or more and makes a written statement of that intention on a form approved by the director.

(b) A person whose license to operate a vehicle is under suspension or revocation.

(c) A person who has been convicted within the immediately preceding 5-year period of fraud or intent to defraud involving an insurance claim or an application for insurance; or an individual who has been successfully denied, within the immediately preceding 5-year period, payment by an insurer of a claim in excess of $1,000.00 under an automobile insurance policy, if there is evidence of fraud or intent to defraud involving an insurance claim or application.

(d) A person who, during the immediately preceding 3-year period, has been convicted under, or who has been subject to an order of disposition of the family division of circuit court for a violation of, any of the following:

(i) Section 601d of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.601d, or any other law of this state the violation of which constitutes a felony resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle.

(ii) Section 625 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.625.

(iii) Section 617, 617a, 618, or 619 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.617, 257.617a, 257.618, and 257.619.

(iv) Section 626 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.626; or a similar violation under the laws of any other state or a municipality in or outside of this state.

(e) A person whose vehicle insured or to be insured under the policy fails to meet the motor vehicle safety requirements of sections 683 to 711 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.683 to 257.711.

(f) A person whose policy of automobile insurance has been canceled because of nonpayment of premium or financed premium within the immediately preceding 2-year period, unless the premium due on a policy for which application has been made is paid in full before issuance or renewal of the policy.

(g) A person who fails to obtain or maintain membership in a club, group, or organization, if membership is a uniform requirement of the insurer as a condition of providing insurance, and if the dues, charges, or other conditions for membership are applied uniformly throughout this state, are not expressed as a percentage of premium, and do not vary with respect to the rating classification of the member except for the purpose of offering a membership fee to family units. Membership fees may vary in accordance with the amount or type of coverage if the purchase of additional coverage, either as to type or amount, is not a condition for reduction of dues or fees.

(h) A person whose driving record for the 3-year period immediately preceding application for or renewal of a policy, has, under section 2119a, an accumulation of more than 6 insurance eligibility points.

(2) “Eligible person”, for home insurance, means a person who is the owner-occupant or tenant of a dwelling of any of the following types: a house, a condominium unit, a cooperative unit, a room, or an apartment; or a person who is the owner-occupant of a multiple unit dwelling of not more than 4 residential units. Eligible person does not include any of the following:

(a) A person who has been convicted, in the immediately preceding 5-year period, of 1 or more of the following:

(i) Arson, or conspiracy to commit arson.

(ii) A crime under sections 72 to 77, 112, 211a, 377a, 377b, or 380 of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.72 to 750.77, 750.112, 750.211a, 750.377a, 750.377b, and 750.380.

(iii) A crime under section 92, 151, 157b, or 218 of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.92, 750.151, 750.157b, and 750.218, based on a crime described in subparagraph (ii) committed by or on behalf of the person.

(b) A person who has been successfully denied, within the immediately preceding 5-year period, payment by an insurer of a claim under a home insurance policy based on evidence of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, fraud, or conspiracy to commit fraud, committed by or on behalf of the person.

(c) A person who insures or seeks to insure a dwelling that is being used for an illegal or demonstrably hazardous purpose.

(d) A person who refuses to purchase an amount of insurance equal to at least 80% of the replacement cost of the property insured or to be insured under a replacement cost policy.

(e) A person who refuses to purchase an amount of insurance equal to at least 100% of the market value of the property insured or to be insured under a repair cost policy.

(f) A person who refuses to purchase an amount of insurance equal to at least 100% of the actual cash value of the property insured or to be insured under a tenant or renter’s home insurance policy.

(g) A person whose policy of home insurance has been canceled because of nonpayment of premium within the immediately preceding 2-year period, unless the premium due on the policy is paid in full before issuance or renewal of the policy.

(h) A person who insures or seeks to insure a dwelling, if the insured value is not any of the following:

(i) For a repair cost policy, at least $15,000.00.

(ii) For a replacement policy, at least $35,000.00 or another amount established by the director. The director may establish an amount under this subparagraph biennially by a rule promulgated under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, and based on changes in applicable construction cost indices.

(i) A person who insures or seeks to insure a dwelling that has physical conditions that clearly present an extreme likelihood of a significant loss under a home insurance policy.

(j) A person whose real property taxes with respect to the dwelling insured or to be insured have been and are delinquent for 2 or more years at the time of renewal of, or application for, home insurance.

(k) A person who has failed to procure or maintain membership in a club, group, or organization, if membership is a uniform requirement of the insurer, and if the dues, charges, or other conditions for membership are applied uniformly throughout this state, are not expressed as a percentage of premium, and do not vary with respect to the rating classification of the member except for the purpose of offering a membership fee to family units. Membership fees may vary in accordance with the amount or type of coverage if the purchase of additional coverage, either as to type or amount, is not a condition for reduction of dues or fees.

(3) “Home insurance” means any of the following, but does not include insurance intended to insure commercial, industrial, professional, or business property, obligations, or liabilities:

(a) Fire insurance for an insured’s dwelling of a type described in subsection (2).

(b) If contained in or indorsed to a fire insurance policy providing insurance for the insured’s residence, other insurance intended primarily to insure nonbusiness property, obligations, and liabilities.

(c) Other insurance coverages for an insured’s residence as prescribed by rule promulgated by the director under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328. The director shall transmit a rule proposed for promulgation under this section in advance to each member of the standing committees in the house of representatives and the senate that have jurisdiction over insurance.

(4) “Insurance eligibility points” means all of the following:

(a) Points calculated, according to the following schedule, for convictions, determinations of responsibility for civil infractions, or findings of responsibility in probate court:

(i) For a violation of any lawful speed limit by more than 15 miles per hour, or careless driving, 4 points.

(ii) For a violation of any lawful speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour but less than 16 miles per hour, 3 points.

(iii) For a violation of any lawful speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour but less than 11 miles per hour, 2 points.

(iv) For a violation of any speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour but less than 16 miles per hour on a roadway that had a lawfully posted maximum speed of 70 miles per hour or greater as of January 1, 1974, 2 points.

(v) For a violation of a speed limit by less than 6 miles per hour, 1 point.

(vi) For all other moving violations pertaining to the operation of motor vehicles, 2 points.

(b) Points calculated, according to the following schedule, for determinations that the person was substantially at-fault:

(i) For the first substantially at-fault accident, 3 points.

(ii) For the second and each subsequent substantially at-fault accident, 4 points.

(5) “Insurer” means an insurer authorized to transact in this state the kind or combination of kinds of insurance constituting automobile insurance or home insurance.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 1 year after the date it is enacted into law.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor