Download Zipped Introduced WP 8.0 HB0189.ZIP 9,809 Bytes
[Status][Bill Documents][Fiscal Note][Bills Directory]

H.B. 189

             1     

YEAR 2000 GOVERNMENT IMMUNITY

             2     
1999 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: Blake D. Chard

             5      AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS IN GENERAL; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS;
             6      GRANTING GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS FOR YEAR 2000
             7      PROBLEMS; AND AMENDING THE WAIVER OF IMMUNITY.
             8      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             9      AMENDS:
             10          63-30-3, as last amended by Chapters 15 and 248, Laws of Utah 1991
             11          63-30-10, as last amended by Chapters 159 and 264, Laws of Utah 1996
             12      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             13          Section 1. Section 63-30-3 is amended to read:
             14           63-30-3. Immunity of governmental entities from suit.
             15          (1) Except as may be otherwise provided in this chapter, all governmental entities are
             16      immune from suit for any injury which results from the exercise of a governmental function,
             17      governmentally-owned hospital, nursing home, or other governmental health care facility, and
             18      from an approved medical, nursing, or other professional health care clinical training program
             19      conducted in either public or private facilities.
             20          (2) (a) For the purposes of this chapter only, the following state medical programs and
             21      services performed at a state-owned university hospital are unique or essential to the core of
             22      governmental activity in this state and are considered to be governmental functions:
             23          (i) care of a patient referred by another hospital or physician because of the high risk nature
             24      of the patient's medical condition;
             25          (ii) high risk care or procedures available in Utah only at a state-owned university hospital
             26      or provided in Utah only by physicians employed at a state-owned university acting in the scope
             27      of their employment;


             28          (iii) care of patients who cannot receive appropriate medical care or treatment at another
             29      medical facility in Utah; and
             30          (iv) any other service or procedure performed at a state-owned university hospital or by
             31      physicians employed at a state-owned university acting in the scope of their employment that a
             32      court finds is unique or essential to the core of governmental activity in this state.
             33          (b) If any claim under this subsection exceeds the limits established in Section 63-30-34 ,
             34      the claimant may submit the excess claim to the Board of Examiners and the Legislature under
             35      Title 63, Chapter 6, Board of Examiners.
             36          (3) The management of flood waters and other natural disasters and the construction,
             37      repair, and operation of flood and storm systems by governmental entities are considered to be
             38      governmental functions, and governmental entities and their officers and employees are immune
             39      from suit for any injury or damage resulting from those activities.
             40          (4) Officers and employees of a Children's Justice Center are immune from suit for any
             41      injury which results from their joint intergovernmental functions at a center created in Title 62A,
             42      Chapter [4] 4a, Family Services.
             43          (5) Governmental entities and their officers and employees are immune from any claim,
             44      demand, cause of action, or lawsuit for any injury or damages arising from, related to or resulting,
             45      in whole or in part, from errors or failures caused by an electronic computing device owned,
             46      controlled, relied upon, or used by a governmental entity arising out of or in connection with the
             47      Year 2000 problem.
             48          (a) Nothing in Subsection (5) may be interpreted to interfere with a citizen's rights to
             49      receive statutorily mandated services or entitlements from agencies or for a vendor or contracting
             50      party to receive payments for goods or services provided. In the event of an agency's failure to
             51      deliver such services, entitlements, or contract payments due to an error or failure associated with
             52      the Year 2000 problems, the remedies available to the citizen or client shall be the existing
             53      administrative procedures or remedies provided by law.
             54          (b) As used in Subsection (5):
             55          (i) "electronic computing device" means any computer hardware or software, computer
             56      chip, embedded chip, process control equipment, or other information system used to capture,
             57      store, manipulate, or process data, or that controls, monitors, or assists in the operation of a
             58      physical apparatus that is not primarily used as a computer, but that relies on automation or digital


             59      technology to function, including vehicles, aircraft, vessels, buildings, structures, facilities,
             60      elevators, medical equipment, traffic signals, and factory machinery;
             61          (ii) "governmental entity" means the same as defined in Section 63-30-2 ; and
             62          (iii) "Year 2000 problem" means any failure or malfunction which is caused directly or
             63      indirectly by the failure of an electronic computing device to accurately or properly recognize or
             64      process the change in date from the year 1999 to the year 2000.
             65          Section 2. Section 63-30-10 is amended to read:
             66           63-30-10. Waiver of immunity for injury caused by negligent act or omission of
             67      employee -- Exceptions.
             68          Immunity from suit of all governmental entities is waived for injury proximately caused
             69      by a negligent act or omission of an employee committed within the scope of employment except
             70      if the injury arises out of, in connection with, or results from:
             71          (1) the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary
             72      function, whether or not the discretion is abused;
             73          (2) assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, intentional
             74      trespass, abuse of process, libel, slander, deceit, interference with contract rights, infliction of
             75      mental anguish, or violation of civil rights;
             76          (3) the issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation of or by the failure or refusal to issue,
             77      deny, suspend, or revoke any permit, license, certificate, approval, order, or similar authorization;
             78          (4) a failure to make an inspection or by making an inadequate or negligent inspection;
             79          (5) the institution or prosecution of any judicial or administrative proceeding, even if
             80      malicious or without probable cause;
             81          (6) a misrepresentation by an employee whether or not it is negligent or intentional;
             82          (7) riots, unlawful assemblies, public demonstrations, mob violence, and civil
             83      disturbances;
             84          (8) the collection of and assessment of taxes;
             85          (9) the activities of the Utah National Guard;
             86          (10) the incarceration of any person in any state prison, county or city jail, or other place
             87      of legal confinement;
             88          (11) any natural condition on publicly owned or controlled lands, any condition existing
             89      in connection with an abandoned mine or mining operation, or any activity authorized by the


             90      School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration or the Division of Forestry, Fire and State
             91      Lands;
             92          (12) research or implementation of cloud management or seeding for the clearing of fog;
             93          (13) the management of flood waters, earthquakes, or natural disasters;
             94          (14) the construction, repair, or operation of flood or storm systems;
             95          (15) the operation of an emergency vehicle, while being driven in accordance with the
             96      requirements of Section 41-6-14 ;
             97          (16) a latent dangerous or latent defective condition of any highway, road, street, alley,
             98      crosswalk, sidewalk, culvert, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, or other structure located on them;
             99          (17) a latent dangerous or latent defective condition of any public building, structure, dam,
             100      reservoir, or other public improvement;
             101          (18) the activities of:
             102          (a) providing emergency medical assistance;
             103          (b) fighting fire;
             104          (c) regulating, mitigating, or handling hazardous materials or hazardous wastes;
             105          (d) emergency evacuations; or
             106          (e) intervening during dam emergencies; [or]
             107          (19) the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform any function pursuant
             108      to Title 73, Chapter 5a, Dam Safety, or Title 73, Chapter 10, Board of Water Resources - Division
             109      of Water Resources,
             110      which immunity is in addition to all other immunities granted by law[.]; or
             111          (20) the use, implementation, operation, management of, or reliance upon electronic
             112      computing devices, defined in Section 63-30-3 , where an error results from or is cause in whole
             113      or in part by the Year 2000 problem, defined in Section 63-30-3 .





Legislative Review Note
    as of 12-4-98 2:49 PM


This legislation raises the following constitutional or statutory concerns:

There is a possibility that this law could be challenged as a violation of the constitutional guarantee
of open court's access for redress of injuries under Article 1, Section 11 of the Utah Constitution.
There is no clear precedent as to how a court would rule on this issue.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


Committee Note

The Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee recommended this bill.


[Bill Documents][Bills Directory]