(a) On or before July 1, 2005, each insurer that issues private passenger automobile liability insurance policies and coverages, or private passenger automobile policies and coverages issued by an automobile assigned risk plan, as those policies, coverages, and plans are described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 4000.37 shall advise the department of the electronic method to be used for reporting liability insurance information under subdivisions (b), (c), and (d). The department shall establish an electronic conversion schedule.

(b) On or before January 1, 2006, each insurer shall report all existing motor vehicle liability insurance policies or coverages described in subdivision (a) issued for vehicles registered in this state or to policyholders with a California address, to the department in a manner that preserves existing reporting relationships and that allows for smaller insurers and those with unusual circumstances to be accommodated, consistent with the intent of this section. Consistent with the intent of this section, a small insurer or those with unusual circumstances may be accommodated by, among other methods, an extension of the mandatory electronic reporting deadline set forth in this section to no later than July 1, 2006.

(c) On and after January 1, 2006, each insurer shall electronically report to the department all issued motor vehicle liability policies or coverages, as described in subdivision (a), within 30 days of the effective date of the coverage.

(d) On and after January 1, 2006, an insurer shall electronically report to the department the termination of a reported policy or any change of information previously reported under subdivision (b) or (c), as specified by the department, within 45 days of the date of termination or change. This report shall include the effective date of the termination, amendment, or cancellation and any other information that does not exceed that required under subdivision (c).

(e) (1) Those persons with alternative forms of financial responsibility pursuant to subdivision (a), (c), (d), or (e) of Section 16021 shall provide satisfactory evidence of that responsibility as determined by the department.

(2) In addition, the department shall establish an alternative procedure for establishment of satisfactory evidence of financial responsibility to permit the timely renewal of vehicle registration when the electronic data has not been updated due to circumstances beyond the vehicle owner’s immediate control. Those circumstances may include, but are not limited to, a vehicle identification error in either the department’s or the insurer’s records or insurance purchased too recently to have been electronically transmitted to the department. Whenever this alternative procedure is used, the department shall, subsequent to the issuance of the registration certificate and indicia, contact the insurer to obtain electronic data pursuant to subdivision (c).

(f) The department shall adopt regulations for reporting insurance information, including, but not limited to, establishing acceptable timeframes and approved methods for reporting information.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 920, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2005.)