State Representative Gerald Stebelton (R-Lancaster) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives today passed House Bill 278, which increases the minimum amounts required for valid proof of financial responsibility and makes changes to the law governing automobile insurance policies.

“I’m pleased that the House has passed House Bill 278 to update Ohio’s minimum requirements, which have not been changed since 1969,” said Rep. Stebelton. “Responsible drivers incur significant additional costs to purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage from their own auto insurance companies, because they know that an oncoming vehicle weighing between 4,000 to 8,000 pounds could hit them and cause severe personal injury and financial devastation for their families. House Bill 278 raises our minimum coverage limits to protect responsible drivers.”

Specifically, House Bill 278:

 • Increases, nine months after the bill’s effective date, the minimum dollar amounts of motor vehicle public liability insurance coverage required for a driver to have a valid proof of financial responsibility
 • Makes it an unfair and deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance to charge excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory premium rates in private passenger automobile insurance based solely on the insured’s residence location
 • Revises the definition of an “automobile insurance policy”
 • Reduces from two years to one year the minimum policy period for automobile insurance policies
 • Adds fraud, concealment and license revocation to the list of reasons why an insurer may cancel an automobile insurance policy
 • Makes changes to the process by which the Superintendent of Insurance reviews the cancellation of an insured’s automobile insurance policy upon written notice by the insured

House Bill 278 passed by a vote of 85-7 and will be sent to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.