Bill Description: House Bill 284 would waive a small fee in certain circumstances and impose more requirements on motor vehicle insurers. 

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Does it directly or indirectly create or increase any taxes, fees, or other assessments? Conversely, does it eliminate or reduce any taxes, fees, or other assessments?

House Bill 284 would amend Section 49-202, Idaho Code, regarding fees paid to the Idaho Transportation Department to say that the $3.50 fee for filing a "release of liability statement" when a registered vehicle has been sold "shall not apply when a transaction is filed electronically with the department."

This is a small fee that most people pay infrequently, and this bill would waive it only when someone files online. Still, it is a small reduction in fees. 

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Does it give government any new, additional, or expanded power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate activities in the free market? Conversely, does it eliminate or reduce government intervention in the market?

Idaho has a very problematic program whereby the duly paid registration of a motor vehicle is automatically revoked if the Idaho Transportation Department believes that the vehicle is not insured. 

There are many legitimate (and legal) reasons why a vehicle owner might choose to keep a vehicle registered but not insured, yet under this program, the owner is forced to report these reasons to the department.

In order to operate this program, the government has compelled insurance companies to provide monthly updates on the insurance status of vehicles registered in the state. House Bill 284 would amend Section 49-1234, Idaho Code, to expand this mandate to require insurers to report this data "at least weekly." 

The bill would also require insurers to, if they have the capability, "report data indicating that a vehicle's insurance has been lawfully suspended because such vehicle has been placed into storage by the owner."

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House Bill 284 would further amend Section 49-1234, Idaho Code. The department relies on reports from insurance companies to determine that a formerly insured vehicle is no longer insured. Vehicle owners currently have 30 days to notify the department that they have obtained new insurance, requested an exemption or tell the department of a reporting error. House Bill 284 would extend this deadline from 30 days to 60 days. 

While this extension may prove useful to some people, it does not substantially reduce the burden the requirement places on Idahoans. 

This bill would impose more frequent reporting requirements on insurers. This will likely lead the department to threaten to revoke vehicle registrations sooner — a change that negates some of the benefits of making the response time longer.

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