SECTION 183A. Massachusetts cost containment council

There is hereby established a Massachusetts cost containment council, hereinafter called the council. The council shall consist of the following persons or their designees: the director of consumer affairs and business regulation, who shall serve as chairman, the commissioner of insurance, the secretary of public safety, the registrar of motor vehicles, the commissioner of the state police, the secretary of transportation and construction, the commissioner of highways, the attorney general, the president of the association of district attorneys, the executive director of the governor's statewide anti-crime council, the court administrator of the trial court, the executive director of the judicial institute, and the commissioner of probation. The council shall annually formulate and administer a plan that, at a minimum, shall include performance standards for reductions in motor vehicle insurance fraud, motor vehicle thefts, motor vehicle arson, motor vehicle accident frequency and severity, and the number of uninsured motorists. The council is hereby authorized and directed to stimulate activities, develop proposals and increase inter-agency cooperation for the purpose of implementing said plan.

The projects undertaken or originated by the council shall include but shall not be limited to the following: improvement, expansion and coordination of safe driver education for residents of the commonwealth when they obtain and renew licenses, purchase automobile insurance, and are charged with or convicted of offenses pertaining to unsafe driving; improvement of the content of and appropriate expansion of access to information needed to enforce automobile theft and fraud laws, including accident reports, theft reports, automobile arson reports, criminal histories, automobile titles and certificates of origin, and suspicious insurance claims; development of sentencing guidelines and model sentencing recommendations for offenses pertaining to unsafe driving and automobile theft and fraud in order to increase the certainty of punishment for these crimes, either through incarceration or through alternative sentences such as mandatory driver education or electronic monitoring, as appropriate; training of judges concerning the relevant provisions of this act, including appropriate case management techniques; training of registry of motor vehicles and law enforcement personnel in relevant law enforcement techniques, such as identification of stolen automobiles, recognition of forged title and registration documents, and identification of potential fraud in accident reports and other documents; and public awareness campaigns concerning the prevention of automobile theft.

The council shall annually on or before November first inform the general court of its activities by filing a report with the clerk of the senate, who shall forward said report to the senate and house committees on ways and means and the joint committee on insurance. Said report shall state the reductions in motor vehicle insurance cost factors realized by the programs and projects set forth in the council's annual plan and shall include any recommendations deemed necessary by the council for legislation needed to improve future performance.