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S 678

Relates to certain commercial fishing and shellfish licenses and permits

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Monica Martinez

Raises Massachusetts minimum motor vehicle liability limits to $100,000/$200,000 (bodily injury) and $20,000 (property damage) by replacing current amounts.

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
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Bill Summary · S 678

Summary — S.678 (LIVE Beneficiaries Act) — Motor vehicle liability insurance requirements

Note: the provided materials contain conflicting metadata (references to commercial fishing, multiple sponsors, and duplicate committee referrals). This summary relies on the bill text filed as "Senate No. 678" (presented by William N. Brownsberger) titled "An Act relative to motor vehicle liability insurance requirements." Verify official legislative records for final sponsor list and status.

Purpose

To raise the statutory minimum motor vehicle liability insurance limits in Massachusetts by replacing several dollar-amount thresholds in chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Laws with higher amounts. The intent is to increase minimum insured coverage available to crash victims.

Key provisions

  • Amends section 34A of chapter 90 by replacing:
    • every instance of "twenty thousand" with "100,000"
    • every instance of "forty thousand" with "200,000" (i.e., current $20,000 / $40,000 minimum limits would become $100,000 / $200,000)
  • Amends section 34O of chapter 90 by replacing:
    • "five thousand" with "20,000" (i.e., a $5,000 figure in that section would become $20,000)

The bill text does not include additional qualifying language, phase‑in schedules, or exemptions; it effects straight replacements of the numeric amounts in the cited statutory provisions.

Who is affected

  • All Massachusetts motor vehicle owners/drivers required to carry liability insurance — they would need policies meeting the new statutory minimums.
  • Auto insurers — required to offer/policywrite at the higher limits and adjust underwriting/pricing accordingly.
  • Accident victims — would have access to higher statutory minimum recoveries for bodily injury and (as applicable) property damage.
  • State agencies (RMV, Division of Insurance) — responsible for enforcement, compliance guidance and oversight.

Likely impacts

  • Increased minimum coverage should raise the potential recovery amounts for injured parties.
  • Policyholders can expect higher premiums in many cases (extent depends on insurer pricing and whether current typical policies already exceed statutory minimums).
  • Potential reduction in uncompensated medical care and cost‑shifting to public programs if more crashes are covered at higher levels.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Filed in Senate: January 16, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 1446).
  • Introduced/Read twice and referred: February 20, 2025 (referred to Committee on Finance per one record).
  • Passed the Senate: February 26, 2025 (delivered to the House/Assembly thereafter).
  • Hearing scheduled (per docket): May 27, 2025, 10:30 AM–1:00 PM (A‑2).
  • The provided legislative actions include duplicate and conflicting referrals (also to Environmental Conservation) and inconsistent sponsor listings; consult the official legislative clerk or the Legislature’s website for authoritative status, sponsor list, and any committee reports or amendments (e.g., an amendment labeled 678A is noted).

If you want, I can:
- Pull the current official bill status from the Legislature website (if you provide access), or
- Draft a short analysis of estimated premium impacts or equity implications of the change.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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