EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0551*
SENATE BILL 551
C4 5lr2833
By: Senators Bailey, Carozza, Feldman, Folden, Hester, Jackson, Kramer,
Lewis Young, Ready, Rosapepe, Salling, Watson, and West
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
Assigned to: Finance
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Private Passenger Motor Vehicle Insurance – Collisions With Wild Animals – 2
Prohibited Actions by Insurers 3
FOR the purpose of prohibiting an insurer, with respect to private passenger motor vehicle 4
insurance, from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or 5
refusing to consider a discount based on a certain type of accident or loss caused by 6
a collision with a free–roaming wild animal; and generally relating to private 7
passenger motor vehicle insurance. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Insurance 10
Section 27–501(k) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
Article – Insurance 16
27–501. 17
(k) With respect to private passenger motor vehicle insurance, an insurer may 18
not: 19
(1) cancel or refuse to renew coverage based on the claims history of an 20
insured where two or fewer of the claims within the preceding 3–year period were for 21
accidents or losses where the insured was not at fault for the loss; OR 22
2 SENATE BILL 551
(2) INCREASE A PREMIUM , ADD A SURCHAR GE, OR REMOVE, ALTER, 1
OR REFUSE TO CONSIDER A DISCOUNT BASED ON ACCIDENTS O R LOSSES: 2
(I) CAUSED BY A COLLISIO N WITH A FREE –ROAMING WILD 3
ANIMAL; AND 4
(II) FOR WHICH THE INSURE D WAS NOT AT FAULT F OR THE 5
LOSS. 6
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, Th at this Act shall take effect 7
October 1, 2025. 8