Claims Against the Government

The per-person liability cap was raised from $300,000 (as proposed in the original) to $350,000 in the committee substitute. The per-occurrence cap was raised from $450,000 to $500,000.

Removed a provision stating that the liability limits in effect on the date a claim accrues apply to that claim (former subsection 5(e)). Without this, it is unclear which version of the limits applies if they change after a claim has already accrued.

Removed the automatic inflation adjustment mechanism that would have required the Department of Financial Services to adjust liability limits every 5 years starting July 1, 2031, based on the Consumer Price Index for the South region, capped at 3 percent per adjustment (former subsection 5(f)).

Removed language in the attorney fee section that gave the Legislature sole discretion to award less than 25 percent in attorney fees on claim bill payments exceeding the statutory limits, and authority to limit cost payments or reserve a portion of claim bill proceeds for the claimant.

The bill's sponsorship changed from Senator Brodeur alone to the Committee on Rules plus Senators Brodeur and Rouson, reflecting committee action. The bill summary was updated to remove references to the provisions that were deleted.