(a) After consultation with insurance carriers authorized to issue property and casualty policies in this state, the Insurance Commissioner shall establish and approve a reasonable plan or plans to provide insurance coverage for applicants for such property and casualty policies who are in good faith entitled to but unable to procure such policies through ordinary methods. Any such plan concerning automobile insurance shall (1) offer for all participants, including owners and lessees of commercial vehicles registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles as provided in section 14-12, the minimal liability coverage mandated by law and physical damage coverage, fire, theft and collision, with or without deductibles, (2) include a careful driver credit rule providing for reduced rates, approved by the commissioner prior to their implementation, for eligible drivers insured through the plan, (3) provide for a governing committee composed of ten voting members, selected in accordance with the plan of operation, to operate such plan, provided eight members shall be representatives of insurance carriers participating in the plan and one member each shall be representatives of the Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut and the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Connecticut or their successor organizations, (4) provide for a service fee of thirty-five dollars which a producer may charge on each initial policy with an insured, (5) provide that the minimum down payment for such policies shall be twenty-five per cent of the annual premium and that the minimum earned premium shall be equal to the down payment, and that the policy shall not be terminated until the later of (A) the date of completion of the period covered by the premium down payment or (B) the date of cancellation as determined pursuant to section 38a-343, (6) provide for a limited assignment distribution system permitting insurers to enter into agreements with other mutually agreeable insurers to transfer their applicants under such plan to such insurers, and (7) offer to all participants liability coverage for private passenger nonfleet motor vehicles of (A) up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars per person and five hundred thousand dollars per accident for bodily injury or death and one hundred thousand dollars per accident for property damage, or (B) in lieu thereof a single limit of liability of five hundred thousand dollars against claims for bodily injury or death and property damage. When any such plan has been approved all such insurance carriers shall subscribe thereto and participate therein. Any applicant for any such policy, any person insured under any such plan and any insurance carrier affected may appeal to the Insurance Commissioner from any ruling or decision of the manager or committee designated to operate such plan. The provisions of section 38a-19 shall be applicable to any such applicant, person or insurance carrier aggrieved by any adverse order or decision rendered by the Insurance Commissioner upon such appeal.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of this section, the insured shall be refunded the unearned portion of the premium down payment whenever, prior to completion of the period covered by the premium down payment: (1) The insured requests the cancellation of the policy because (A) the insured motor vehicle is sold or repossessed, (B) the motor vehicle is stolen or destroyed, (C) the insured enters the armed forces of the United States, (D) the insured replaces such coverage in the voluntary market, (E) the insured has not taken title or possession of the motor vehicle, or (F) the insured moves out of state and the vehicle is thereafter registered in another state; or (2) the insured requests an adjustment in such policy premium because he has cancelled one motor vehicle from the policy and such policy remains in effect for one or more other motor vehicles.

(1969, P.A. 619, S. 1; P.A. 75-209; P.A. 77-521; 77-614, S. 163, 610; P.A. 80-316, S. 1, 2; 80-482, S. 304, 348; P.A. 82-28; P.A. 83-174; P.A. 85-90, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-128; P.A. 87-163; P.A. 90-243, S. 129; P.A. 91-406, S. 11, 29; P.A. 96-193, S. 10, 36.)

History: P.A. 75-209 added provision specifically concerning plans involving automobile insurance; P.A. 77-521 added Subdiv. (2) in provision re plans concerning automobile insurance; P.A. 77-614 placed insurance commissioner within the department of business regulation and made insurance department a division within that department, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-316 replaced detailed provisions of Subdiv. (2) re credits for accident-free persons with general statement requiring reduced rates for careful drivers; P.A. 80-482 restored insurance commissioner and division to prior independent status and abolished the department of business regulation; P.A. 82-28 permitted commissioner to establish a joint underwriting association, in addition to an assigned risk plan, for fire and casualty insurance applicants; P.A. 83-174 added Subdiv. (3) requiring that the plan provide for a governing committee of ten voting members, include a service fee of $35, a minimum down payment requirement of 25% and a limited assignment distribution system; P.A. 85-90 amended Subsec. (a) to limit the carrier's authority to terminate any policy under the plan, and added Subsec. (b) re refunds of premium down payments; P.A. 86-128 amended Subsec. (a) to make the provisions of Sec. 38-349 applicable to any party aggrieved by an order or decision of the commissioner on an appeal by such party; P.A. 87-163 added Subsec. (a)(7) requiring that the plan offer bodily injury coverage of $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident and property damage coverage of $100,000, or a single limit of liability coverage of $500,000; P.A. 90-243 substituted “property” for “fire” insurance in Subsec. (a); Sec. 38-185l transferred to Sec. 38a-329 in 1991; P.A. 91-406 corrected an internal reference; (Revisor's note: In 1997 a reference in Subsec. (a) to “Motor Vehicle Department” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Motor Vehicles” for consistency with customary statutory usage); P.A. 96-193 substituted “producer” for “agent or broker” in Subsec. (a), effective June 3, 1996.

Cited. 36 CA 587.