Section 11629.87.

(a) Subject to the approval of the commissioner, the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan shall establish and maintain, or contract with an entity to establish and maintain, an Internet Web site that shall provide members of the public with an option for either of the following:

(1) Referral to a list of certified agents or brokers with an office in the same geographic area as the consumer who may be contacted to purchase a low-cost automobile insurance policy. This list shall contain the name, address, telephone number, and, if available, the e-mail address and Internet Web site of those agents or brokers.

(2) Assignment to a randomly selected certified agent or broker in the same geographic area as the consumer who can be accessed online to process and accept an application to purchase a low-cost automobile insurance policy. The assigned agent or broker shall be subject to the conditions specified in Section 11629.86.

(b) The plan may, with the approval of the Department of Insurance, authorize the use, for a designated period of time, of the department-owned Internet Web site domain name http://www.mylowcostauto.com, or any other relevant domain names controlled by the Department of Insurance, for the purposes of this section and Section 11629.86.

(c) The plan shall ensure that the Internet Web site does all of the following:

(1) Provides all disclosures and other information required by law that would otherwise be provided by a producer.

(2) Effectively educates consumers about the eligibility requirements, the benefits, and the limits of the low-cost automobile insurance policy.

(3) Describes or establishes a process to collect any documents that are necessary for determining qualification for the policy.

(4) Establishes a process to electronically certify the information provided by the consumer.

(5) Maintains safeguards to ensure that consumer information transmitted through that Internet Web site is secure.

(6) Provides the physical address of the producer and the telephone number and e-mail of the producer.

(7) Provides the contact information for the Consumer Services Division of the Department of Insurance.

(8) Adheres to any other rules and regulations adopted by the Department of Insurance to promote the purposes of this section and Section 11629.86.

(9) Notifies the consumer that if he or she does not qualify for the low-cost automobile insurance policy that other policies may be available from producers or insurers. Directs the consumer to the Department of Insurance's auto insurance premium comparison Internet Web page.

(d) The Internet Web site shall not be made available to the public until the commissioner has made a determination that it adequately provides all of the necessary information a consumer would need in order to apply to purchase the policy.

(e) The Internet Web site shall be constructed to authorize the plan-certified producer to forward the application, supporting documents, and the applicant's certification to the plan.

(f) The Internet Web site shall accept payment by credit or debit card or other form of electronic payment the Department of Insurance determines to be appropriate. It shall also provide a mechanism for payment by check.

(g) The Internet Web site shall be made available in English and Spanish and in as many additional languages as feasible. The English and Spanish language sites shall be made available to the public as soon as possible, irrespective of whether other versions are finalized.

(h) Notwithstanding any provision of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, if the plan chooses to contract with an entity to establish and maintain the Internet Web site, the plan shall solicit and consider the contract via an open, competitive bid process; however, it shall not issue a request for proposals until the Department of Insurance has approved the request. The contract period shall not extend more than three years. Twelve months before the expiration of the contract, the plan shall determine whether to renew the contract or solicit bids for a new contract.

(i) The plan may request, and the Department of Insurance may include in its plan submitted pursuant to Section 11629.85, that up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) from the department's existing consumer outreach fund be made available for the development of the Internet Web Site.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 401, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2012.)