Electronic proof of vehicle insurance approved by House committee

Insurance lobbyist says bill is needed to allow the companies to submit proof in that format and to have police accept the electronic proof of insurance

BATON ROUGE -- Legislation that will allow insurance companies to send proof of vehicle insurance to drivers electronically and have police accept them as well as insurance cards has been approved by a House committee. The Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works gave unanimous support to House Bill 1130 by Rep. Greg Cromer, R-Slidell. The vote sends the bill to the House floor for debate.

Rep. Greg Cromer, R-Slidell

Insurance industry lobbyist Chuck McMains said that insurance companies are shifting more to doing business electronically and dealing less with paper. He said the next step is to have proof of insurance cards sent electronically to drivers.

The bill is needed, he said, to allow the companies to submit the cards in that format and to have police accept the electronic proof of insurance.

"This just adds another tool to the tool box" to help drivers and police, said Rep. Karen Gaudet St. Germain, D-Pierre Part, who chairs the panel.

The bill says that the display of an image of the insurance card on a cell phone or other electronic device "shall not serve as consent for a law enforcement officer or any other person to access the contents" of the device for any other reason than to "verify the image of the insurance card."

State Police officials said that both formats will be accepted as proof of insurance.

The bill makes the electronic image as valid as a card or a photocopy of the card as evidence of insurance.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com  or 225.342.5810.