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Letting minors buy auto insurance

Published (2/25/2010)
By Nick Busse
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In Minnesota, 17-year-olds can legally own an automobile, but nothing in statute says they can buy their own auto insurance. A House committee approved a bill to clarify that they can.

Rep. Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove) sponsors HF2879, which she said would close a “loophole” in statute that one of her constituents found.

“It was the case that they owned a car and the kid wanted to have their own policy, and they weren’t able to do it,” she said.

Bigham said that state law is currently unclear as to whether minors can have their own insurance policies. She said some companies sell insurance to minors, while others do not.

Under the bill’s provisions, minors could buy their own insurance if they meet the legal requirements for owning their own automobile. These include:

• being 17 and having completed driver training;

• being 17 and graduated from high school;

• being an employed, emancipated minor with a driver’s license; or

• owning a car they acquired while residing in a foreign country, and which is registered in their name there.

Insurers would not be obligated to sell policies to minors, Bigham said.

“We believe this bill makes sense,” said Douglas Franzen, a lobbyist representing the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

The House Commerce and Labor Committee approved the bill Feb. 23 and referred it to the House Civil Justice Committee. Sen. Katie Sieben (DFL-Newport) sponsors the companion, SF2592, which is scheduled to be heard March 2 by the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

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