Mississippi Gov. Barbour Vetoes Insurance Verification Bill, Seeks Fix

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has vetoed a bill to set up an electronic system to verify that drivers have auto insurance, a program intended to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the state’s roads.

In his veto message, Barbour said he supports the concept of the verification system but questioned whether there had been sufficient analysis of the costs of the proposed system and whether the proposed civil penalties would pay for it.

He also said he was concerned that the bill requires the public safety department to suspend a driver’s license of the owner of a vehicle in violation of the insurance law, a task that may be beyond that department’s authority. Barbour said he believes the language of the bill can be fixed by clearly delineating the duties and responsibilities of the appropriate agencies.

The governor indicated he is open to signing a revised bill.

“Once the language in the bill is cleaned up, these agencies will be able to develop a workable system to verify motor vehicle liability insurance coverage of the vehicles on the highway. Toward that end, I am amenable to including this in the next special session,” he said.