An Act Regarding Uninsured Vehicle Coverage
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0722
Committee: Insurance and Financial Services
Sponsors: KATZ, CARPENTER, DION, FREY, HUBBELL
Amends: 24-A MRSA §2902

Legislative Document
No. 722
S.P. 239
In Senate, February 28, 2017
An Act Regarding Uninsured Vehicle Coverage
Reference to the Committee on Insurance and Financial Services suggested and ordered 
printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator KATZ of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Senators: CARPENTER of Aroostook, DION of Cumberland, 
Representatives: FREY of Bangor, HUBBELL of Bar Harbor.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  24-A MRSA §2902, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2005, c. 591, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
1.  A policy insuring against liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use 
of any motor vehicle may not be delivered or issued for delivery in this State with respect 
to any such vehicle registered or principally garaged in this State, unless coverage is 
provided in the policy or supplemental to the policy for the protection of persons insured 
under the policy who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of 
uninsured, underinsured or hit-and-run motor vehicles, for bodily injury, sickness or 
disease, including death, sustained by an insured person resulting from the ownership, 
maintenance or use of such uninsured, underinsured or hit-and-run motor vehicle.  The 
coverage required by this section may be referred to as "uninsured vehicle coverage."  For 
the purposes of this section, "underinsured motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle for 
which coverage is provided, but in amounts less than the minimum limits for bodily 
injury liability insurance provided for under the motorist's financial responsibility laws of 
this State or less than the limits of the injured party's uninsured vehicle coverage.  For the 
purposes of this section, an umbrella or excess policy that provides excess limits to a 
policy described in Title 29-A, section 1605 must also provide uninsured vehicle 
coverage equal to the limits of liability purchased, unless the named insured rejects such 
coverage in writing.  Rejection of such coverage by a named insured constitutes a 
rejection of coverage by all insureds under the policy, applies to all persons and vehicles 
then or thereafter eligible to be covered under the policy and remains effective upon 
policy amendment or renewal, unless the named insured requests such coverage in 
writing. 
Sec. 2.  24-A MRSA §2902, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8.  A document tendered to settle a claim for bodily injury that may be the subject of 
coverage under this section must prominently contain the following language, which must 
be read and signed by the releasing party or parties: 
"WARNING 
IF YOU SIGN THIS RELEASE YOU MAY FORFEIT YOUR RIGHT TO 
UNINSURED 
VEHICLE 
INSURANCE 
BENEFITS 
FROM 
YOUR 
OWN 
AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE POLICY, UMBRELLA POLICY OR OTHER EXCESS 
INSURANCE POLICY.  CONSULT WITH YOUR INSURANCE AGENT, YOUR 
INSURANCE COMPANY AND/OR YOUR ATTORNEY BEFORE SIGNING. 
I certify that I have read the above warning and fully understand it." 
SUMMARY 
This bill explicitly provides that the laws governing uninsured vehicle coverage apply 
to umbrella policies and excess policies.  It also requires that documents tendered to settle 
a claim for bodily injury that may be the subject of coverage under the laws governing 
uninsured vehicle coverage contain a warning to ensure that persons settling bodily injury 
claims understand that by signing a release they may be giving up their right to uninsured 
vehicle insurance benefits from other sources, including their own insurance companies.