[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 279 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 279

   To require automobile insurance insurers to provide rate setting 
                  information and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

  Mr. Mfume introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require automobile insurance insurers to provide rate setting 
                  information and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Automobile Insurance Information Act 
of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that the current practice among automobile 
insurance insurers engaged in interstate commerce of calculating 
exposure to loss costs used--
            (1) to determine premium rates and other charges incidental 
        to the purchase of automobile insurance, and
            (2) to determine the geographical areas and classification 
        rating factors to determine where and whom such insurers will 
        insure,
adversely affects interstate commerce, insurer insolvency, and the 
affordability of insurance, thereby impairing the economic welfare of 
large numbers of consumers of automobile insurance who rely on such 
insurance for protection.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION.

    (a) Factors Affecting Rates.--The Secretary of Commerce shall, by 
contract or directly, require each automobile insurance insurer who is 
engaged in interstate commerce to provide to the Secretary in writing 
information on--
            (1) the means and methods employed by the insurer to 
        determine insurance rates which relate to demographic factors 
        such as population density, roads per square mile, frequency of 
        accidents, claim severity, health costs, auto theft rates, and 
        auto repair costs, and
            (2) classification factors used by the insurer in rate 
        determinations, including race, sex, gender, marital status, 
        type of automobile to be insured, use of such automobile, and 
        the place in which such automobile will be used.
    (b) Publication.--The Secretary of Commerce shall provide for the 
publication of the information provided under subsection (a).
    (c) Recommendations and Report.--On the basis of the information 
submitted to the Secretary under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
Commerce shall make recommendations on making automobile insurance more 
affordable and shall report such recommendations and such information 
to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
    (d) Contract Authority.--The authority of the Secretary of Commerce 
to enter into contracts to implement subsection (a) shall be effective 
for any fiscal year only to such extent or in such amounts as are 
provided in appropriation Acts.

SEC. 4. AFFECT OF LEGISLATION.

    Section 3 shall not be deemed to affect the responsibility and 
authority of the States to regulate the business of insurance or any 
regulation or order of any State agency concerning or applicable to the 
business of insurance if such regulation or order does not prevent 
compliance with section 3.

                                 <all>