First Regular Session

Sixty-first General Assembly

LLS NO. R97­0799.01 MCV

STATE OF COLORADO

REVISED

BY REPRESENTATIVES Swenson, Young, K. Alexander, Arrington, Bacon, Clarke, Dyer, Entz, Epps, George, Gotlieb, Hagedorn, S. Johnson, June, Kaufman, Lamborn, Lawrence, May, McElhany, McPherson, Miller, Morrison, Musgrave, Nichol, Pfiffner, Reeser, Salaz, Schauer, Smith, Tucker, Tupa, Udall, and T. Williams;

also SENATORS Perlmutter, Coffman, Powers, and B. Alexander.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 97­1043

WHEREAS, The General Assembly has made many attempts to address the problem of motorists who fail to comply with mandatory motor vehicle insurance requirements and who then are unable to pay for the damages they cause in traffic accidents; and

WHEREAS, Despite these efforts, there continue to be many motorists who violate the law and who continue to drive without any insurance coverage; and

WHEREAS, Most legislation regarding motor vehicle insurance has been focused on enforcement, which, although essential, does not address the full problem; and

WHEREAS, Many citizens have great difficulty affording mandatory motor vehicle insurance coverage, but also face great hardship when they cannot drive for employment, education, or medical purposes; and

WHEREAS, It is necessary for the General Assembly to take further action to address motor vehicle insurance costs and to determine what may be done to reduce insurance premiums; and

WHEREAS, Creation of an interim committee to study these issues will assist the General Assembly in understanding the causes of increasing motor vehicle insurance rates and what may be done to reduce them and in determining whether or not the present mandatory motor vehicle insurance requirements should be continued; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty­first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That an Interim Legislative Council Committee comprised of five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and five members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, of whom the President of the Senate shall appoint three members and the Minority Leader shall appoint two members, shall be established.

Be It Further Resolved, That the Interim Committee shall study the reasons for the high cost of mandatory motor vehicle insurance in Colorado the success of No-Fault Insurance programs and shall consider what methods may be used by the state to reduce such costs. The issues to be addressed by the Interim Committee may include, but are not limited to, changes that may be made to mandated insurance coverages or insurance policy requirements to reduce premium costs while maintaining the protection the insurance provides for other persons.

Be It Further Resolved, That the Interim Committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the Legislative Council by November 15, 1997, and the Legislative Council shall report its findings and recommendations to the Second Regular Session of the Sixty­first General Assembly.

Be It Further Resolved, That all expenditures incurred for the study conducted pursuant to this Resolution shall be approved by the chairman of the Legislative Council and paid by vouchers and warrants as provided by law from funds allocated to the Legislative Council from appropriations made by the General Assembly.