MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Insurance
By: Representatives Hulum, Sanders, Carpenter, Estrada, Fondren, Gibbs (36th), Hall, Holloway (27th), McCray, Newman, Osborne, Taylor, Thompson, Williams
AN ACT TO REENACT SECTION 63-16-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH WAS REPEALED BY SECTION 4, CHAPTER 447, LAWS OF 2015, WHICH REQUIRES EVERY OWNER OF A MOTOR VEHICLE TO COMPLY WITH THE MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS WHEN REGISTERING OR RENEWING A REGISTRATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE; TO AMEND REENACTED SECTION 63-16-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CHANGE REFERENCES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, IN REGARD TO MAINTAINING THE MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE VERIFICATION SYSTEM, TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; TO AMEND SECTION 63-16-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO ALLOW TAX ASSESSORS TO ACCESS THE VERIFICATION SYSTEM; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 63-16-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 63-16-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, which was repealed by Section 4, Chapter 447, Laws of 2015, is reenacted and amended as follows:
63-16-9. Every owner of a
motor vehicle in this state shall comply with the motor vehicle liability
insurance coverage in at least the minimum amounts required under Section 63-15-3(j)
before that owner may receive a registration for a motor vehicle or renew a
registration * * *. The owner must also maintain continuous coverage in
at least the minimum amounts required under Section 63-15-3(j) throughout the
registration period. The verification system shall be used at registration to
determine compliance with this section and the response received from the
system supersedes an insurance card produced by a motor vehicle owner or
operator, and notwithstanding the display of an insurance card by the owner or
operator, the owner shall be denied a registration for a motor vehicle or
renewal of a registration based on the verification system's response of
noncompliance. The Department of * * * Public Safety must make the
verification system available to the tax collector through its title/registration
network system. * * * The Department of Public Safety shall
promulgate rules and regulations necessary to enforce this section.
SECTION 2. Section 63-16-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
63-16-7. (1) The Department of Public Safety, hereinafter referred to in this section as "department," shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter, as applicable, and shall make rules necessary for the administration of the motor vehicle insurance verification system created under Section 63-16-3.
(2) The rules must:
(a) Establish standards and procedures for accessing the system by authorized personnel of the department, the courts, law enforcement personnel, tax assessors and any other entities authorized by the department that are consistent with specifications and standards of the Insurance Industry Committee on Motor Vehicle Administration and other applicable industry standards;
(b) Provide for the suspension of a driver's license when required by this chapter;
(c) Prohibit the reinstatement of a driver's license unless the applicable fines have been paid; and
(d) Provide for insurance information from insurers, not more often than every thirty (30) days, to identify motor vehicle insurance policy information; however, no insurer shall be required to provide such information in a format other than those set forth by the Insurance Industry Committee on Motor Vehicle Administration "Insurance Data Transfer Guide," as amended.
(3) The department may adopt additional rules to:
(a) Assist authorized users in interpreting responses received from the motor vehicle insurance verification system and determining the appropriate action to be taken as a result of a response; and
(b) Otherwise clarify system operations and business rules.
SECTION 3. Section 63-16-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
63-16-3. (1) The Department of Public Safety, hereinafter referred to in this section as "department," in cooperation with the Commissioner of Insurance and the Department of Revenue, shall establish an accessible common carrier-based motor vehicle insurance verification system to verify the compliance of a motor vehicle with motor vehicle liability policy requirements under the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Safety-Responsibility Law.
(2) The department, in cooperation with the Department of Revenue if applicable, may contract with a private vendor or vendors to establish and maintain the system.
(3) The system must:
(a) Send requests to insurers for verification of motor vehicle liability insurance using electronic services established by the insurers through the Internet, World Wide Web, or a similar proprietary or common carrier electronic system in compliance with the specifications and standards of the Insurance Industry Committee on Motor Vehicle Administration and other applicable industry standards;
(b) Include appropriate provisions to secure its data against unauthorized access and to maintain a record of all requests and responses;
(c) Be accessible, without fee, to authorized personnel of the department, the courts, law enforcement personnel, and other entities authorized by the department under the provisions of Section 63-16-7;
(d) Be able to interface with existing department systems;
(e) Be able to be accessed by authorized users via a secure web browser;
(f) Not more often than every thirty (30) days, receive insurance information from insurers under specifications and standards set forth in paragraph (a) of this subsection or other data file formats as approved by the department to identify motor vehicle insurance policy information; however, no insurer shall be required to provide information in a format other than those set forth by the Insurance Industry Committee on Motor Vehicle Administration "Insurance Data Transfer Guide," as amended;
(g) Provide a means by which low-volume insurers that are unable to deploy an online interface with the system can report insurance policy data to the department or their designee for inclusion in the system;
(h) Provide a means to track separately or distinguish motor vehicles that are subject to a certificate of insurance under Section 63-15-39 or 63-15-41, a certificate of self-insurance under Section 63-15-53, a bond under Section 63-15-49, or a certificate of deposit of money or securities under Section 63-15-51;
(i) Distinguish motor vehicles that are exempt from the provisions of this chapter;
(j) Be available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, subject to reasonable allowances for scheduled maintenance or temporary system failures, to verify the insurance status of any motor vehicle in a manner prescribed by the department; and
(k) Be installed and operational not later than March 1, 2016, followed by an appropriate testing period of not less than six (6) months.
(4) Every insurer shall cooperate with the department and the Insurance Department in establishing and maintaining the system and shall provide motor vehicle liability policy status and information to verify liability coverage for a motor vehicle insured by that company that is registered in this state.
(5) Records and information gathered by or stored in the system are exempt from the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.