Gov. Haley Barbour has signed a bill intended to boost enforcement of motor vehicle insurance laws by giving Mississippi towns a cut of fines collected for violations.

The new law, previously HB1238, allocates 25 percent of fines collected from drivers who cannot provide proof of vehicle insurance to cities and counties. It takes effect July 1.

Under previous Mississippi law, the violation was one of the only traffic fines that local agencies did not receive a portion of.

Law enforcement officers will be permitted to ticket drivers who fail to show proof of insurance when stopped at a roadblock.

In the past, officers could only ask for proof of insurance if a motorist were stopped for another infraction, such as speeding.

The new law also drops the fine for first-time offenders who fail to provide proof of insurance when pulled over to $500. Existing law fines those offenders $1,000.

If an offender purchases insurance before their court date, the fine is $100. If they can prove they had insurance at the time of ticketing, the fine would be removed.