(a) An insurer doing business in this state shall pay an annual special purpose assessment to be determined by the commissioner, but not to exceed one dollar ($1) annually, for each vehicle insured under an insurance policy it issues in this state, in order to fund increased investigation and prosecution of fraudulent automobile insurance claims and economic automobile theft. Thirty-four percent of those funds received from ninety-five cents ($0.95) of the special purpose assessment per insured vehicle shall be distributed to the Fraud Division for enhanced investigative efforts, 15 percent of that ninety-five cents ($0.95) shall be deposited in the Motor Vehicle Account for appropriation to the Department of the California Highway Patrol for enhanced prevention and investigative efforts to deter economic automobile theft, and 51 percent of that ninety-five cents ($0.95) shall be distributed to district attorneys for purposes of investigation and prosecution of automobile insurance fraud cases, including fraud involving economic automobile theft.

(b) (1) The commissioner shall award funds to district attorneys according to population. The commissioner may alter this distribution formula as necessary to achieve the most effective distribution of funds. A local district attorney desiring a portion of those funds shall submit to the commissioner an application detailing the proposed use of any moneys that may be provided. The application shall include a detailed accounting of assessment funds received and expended in prior years, including, at a minimum, all of the following:

Ask an insurance law question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(A) The amount of funds received and expended.

(B) The uses to which those funds were put, including payment of salaries and expenses, purchase of equipment and supplies, and other expenditures by type.

(C) The results achieved as a consequence of expenditures made, including the number of investigations, arrests, complaints filed, convictions, and the amounts originally claimed in cases prosecuted compared to payments actually made in those cases.

(D) Other relevant information as the commissioner may reasonably require.

A district attorney who fails to submit an application by the deadline set by the commissioner shall be subject to loss of distribution of the moneys. The commissioner may consider recommendations and advice of the Fraud Division and the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol in allocating moneys to local district attorneys. A district attorney that receives funds shall submit an annual report to the commissioner, which may be made public, as to the success of the program administered. The report shall provide information and statistics on the number of active investigations, arrests, indictments, and convictions. Both the application for moneys and the distribution of moneys shall be public documents. The commissioner shall conduct a fiscal audit of the programs administered under this subdivision at least once every three years. The costs of a fiscal audit shall be shared equally between the department and the district attorney. Information submitted to the commissioner pursuant to this section concerning criminal investigations, whether active or inactive, shall be confidential. If the commissioner determines that a district attorney is unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute automobile insurance fraud claims as provided by this subdivision or Section 1874.8, the commissioner may discontinue the distribution of funds allocated for that county and may redistribute those funds to other eligible district attorneys.

(2) The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall submit to the commissioner, for informational purposes only, a report detailing the department’s proposed use of funds under this section and an annual report in the same format as required of district attorneys under paragraph (1).

(c) The remaining five cents ($0.05) shall be spent for enhanced automobile insurance fraud investigation by the Fraud Division.

(d) Except for funds to be deposited in the Motor Vehicle Account for allocation to the Department of the California Highway Patrol for purposes of the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 10900) of Division 4 of the Vehicle Code), the funds received under this section shall be deposited in the Insurance Fund and be expended and distributed when appropriated by the Legislature.

(e) In the course of its investigations, the Fraud Division shall pursue aggressively all reported incidents of probable fraud and, in addition, shall forward to the appropriate disciplinary body the names of individuals licensed under the Business and Professions Code who are suspected of actively engaging in fraudulent activity along with all relevant supporting evidence.

(f) As used in this section, “economic automobile theft” means automobile theft perpetrated for financial gain, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Theft of a motor vehicle for financial gain.

(2) Reporting that a motor vehicle has been stolen for the purpose of filing a false insurance claim.

(3) Engaging in any act prohibited by Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 10801) of Division 4 of the Vehicle Code.

(4) Switching of vehicle identification numbers to obtain title to a stolen motor vehicle.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 179, Sec. 170. Effective January 1, 2009.)