GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2007

HOUSE BILL 22

RATIFIED BILL

AN ACT TO INCREASE THE state TORT CLAIM limit.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 143-299.2 reads as rewritten:

"§ 143-299.2.  Limitation on payments by the State.

(a)       The maximum amount that the State may pay cumulatively to all claimants on account of injury and damage to any one person arising out of any one occurrence, whether the claim or claims are brought under this Article, or Article 31A or Article 31B of this Chapter, shall be five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000), one million dollars ($1,000,000), less any commercial liability insurance purchased by the State and applicable to the claim or claims under G.S. 143-291(b), 143-300.6(c), or 143-300.16(c).

(b)       The fact that a claim or claims may be brought under more than one Article under this Chapter shall not increase the above maximum liability of the State."

SECTION 2.  State agencies, departments, and institutions and local boards of education shall use funds available for the 2007-2008 fiscal year to implement the provisions of this act.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law. This act applies with respect to torts committed on or after the date this act becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 2^nd day of August, 2007.

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Beverly E. Perdue

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Joe Hackney

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Michael F. Easley

                                                                         Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2007