Insurance department proposes real‑time auto‑insurance verification system; supporters cite uninsured‑motorist costs, critics raise privacy and enforcement caut

House Bill 2047 would create a real‑time motor vehicle liability insurance verification system. The bill directs the insurance commissioner to establish the system, requires insurers to provide policy information for vehicles registered in Kansas (with some carve outs), and limits access to authorized users such as the Kansas Insurance Department, Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles, courts and law enforcement. The bill allows the commissioner to contract with a private vendor and directs the insurance department to fund implementation and ongoing operation from its regulation service fund. The bill sets a target full operational date of July 1, 2026.

Mandy Roe, chief of staff for the Kansas Department of Insurance, told the committee the department's data call found insurers paid over $51,000,000 in uninsured‑motorist claims in calendar years 2021‑22 and that roughly 8% of vehicles in Kansas are uninsured. The department said the proposal would allow routine cross‑checks of…