(a) The Secretary may implement a program of electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy verification for motor vehicles subject to Section 7-601 of this Code for the purpose of verifying whether or not the motor vehicle is insured. The development and implementation of the program shall be consistent with the standards and procedures of a nationwide organization whose primary membership consists of individual insurance companies and insurance trade associations. The program shall include, but is not limited to:
         (1) a requirement that an insurance company
    
authorized to sell motor vehicle liability insurance in this State shall make available, in a format designated by the Secretary that is consistent with a nationwide organization whose primary membership consists of individual insurance companies and insurance trade organizations, to the Secretary for each motor vehicle liability insurance policy issued by the company the following information:
            (A) the name of the policy holder;
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Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/7-603.5

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
  • individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.36
  • State: when applied to different parts of the United States, may be construed to include the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" may be construed to include the said district and territories. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.14
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.

             (B) the make, model, year, and vehicle
        
identification number of the covered motor vehicle;
            (C) the policy number;
             (D) the policy effective date;
             (E) the insurance company’s National Association
        
of Insurance Commissioner’s number; and
            (F) any other information the Secretary deems
        
necessary to match an eligible vehicle with an insurance policy;
        (2) a method for searching motor vehicle liability
    
insurance policies issued and in effect in this State by using the information under paragraph (1) of this subsection (a);
        (3) a requirement that at least twice per calendar
    
year, the Secretary shall verify the existence of a liability insurance policy for every registered motor vehicle subject to Section 7-601 of this Code; and if the Secretary is unable to verify the existence of a liability insurance policy, the Secretary shall, by U.S. mail or electronic mail, send the vehicle owner a written notice allowing the vehicle owner 30 calendar days to provide proof of insurance on the date of attempted verification, or to provide proof that the vehicle is no longer operable;
        (4) a requirement that a vehicle owner who does not
    
provide proof of insurance or proof of an inoperable vehicle under paragraph (3) of this subsection (a) shall be in violation of Section 7-601 of this Code and the Secretary shall suspend the vehicle’s registration and the owner shall pay any applicable reinstatement fees and shall provide proof of insurance before the Secretary may reinstate the vehicle’s registration under Section 7-606 of this Code;
        (5) a requirement that if a vehicle owner provides
    
proof of insurance on the date of the attempted verification under paragraph (3) of this subsection (1), the Secretary may verify the vehicle owner’s response by furnishing necessary information to the insurance company. Within 7 calendar days of receiving the information, the insurance company shall confirm and notify the Secretary the dates of the motor vehicle’s insurance coverage. If the insurance company does not confirm coverage for the date of attempted verification, the Secretary shall suspend the vehicle’s registration and the owner of the vehicle shall pay any applicable reinstatement fees and shall provide proof of insurance before the Secretary may reinstate the vehicle’s registration under Section 7-606 of this Code;
        (6) a requirement that the Secretary may consult with
    
members of the insurance industry during the implementation of the program, including, but not limited to, during the drafting process for adopting any rules that may be necessary to implement or manage an electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy verification program;
        (7) a requirement that commercial lines of automobile
    
insurance are excluded from the program, but may voluntarily report insurance coverage to the State.
    (b) In addition to the semi-annual verification of liability insurance under subsection (a) of this Section, the Secretary may select monthly verification for a motor vehicle owned or registered by a person:
         (1) whose motor vehicle registration during the
    
preceding 4 years has been suspended under Section 7-606 or 7-607 of this Code;
        (2) who, during the preceding 4 years, has been
    
convicted of violating Section 3-707, 3-708, or 3-710 of this Code while operating a vehicle owned by another person;
        (3) whose driving privileges have been suspended
    
during the preceding 4 years;
        (4) who, during the preceding 4 years, acquired
    
ownership of a motor vehicle while the registration of the vehicle under the previous owner was suspended under Section 7-606 or 7-607 of this Code; or
        (5) who, during the preceding 4 years, has received a
    
disposition of court supervision under subsection (c) of § 5-6-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a violation of Section 3-707, 3-708, or 3-710 of this Code.
    (c) Nothing in this Section provides the Secretary with regulatory authority over insurance companies.
     (d) The Secretary may contract with a private contractor to carry out the Secretary’s duties under this Section.
     (e) Any information collected, stored, maintained, or referred to under this Section shall be used solely for the purpose of verifying whether a registered motor vehicle meets the requirements of Section 7-601 of this Code and shall be exempt from a records request or from inspection and copying under the Freedom of Information Act. A request for release of verification of liability insurance policy information from the Secretary shall require a court order, subpoena, or the motor vehicle owner’s approval.
     (f) An insurer identified by an electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy program as insuring less than 1,000 vehicles per year shall be exempt from the reporting requirements under subsection (a) of this Section.
     (g) The Secretary may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.
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