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S.B. 195

             1     

VOLUNTEER IMMUNITY ACT

             2     
2000 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: L. Steven Poulton

             5      AN ACT RELATING TO VOLUNTEER IMMUNITY; GRANTING IMMUNITY FROM SUIT
             6      TO CERTAIN VOLUNTEERS; DECLARING UTAH'S INTENT TO NOT APPLY AN
             7      OPTIONAL FEDERAL LAW; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
             8      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             9      ENACTS:
             10          78-19-101, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             11          78-19-102, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             12          78-19-201, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             13          78-19-202, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             14          78-19-301, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             15          78-19-401, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             16      REPEALS:
             17          78-19-1, as enacted by Chapter 4, Laws of Utah 1990
             18          78-19-2, as enacted by Chapter 4, Laws of Utah 1990
             19          78-19-3, as enacted by Chapter 4, Laws of Utah 1990
             20      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             21          Section 1. Section 78-19-101 is enacted to read:
             22     
CHAPTER 19. UTAH VOLUNTEER PROTECTION ACT

             23     
Part 1. General Provisions

             24          78-19-101. Title.
             25          This chapter is known as the "Utah Volunteer Protection Act."
             26          Section 2. Section 78-19-102 is enacted to read:
             27          78-19-102. Definitions.


             28          As used in this chapter:
             29          (1) "Damage" means physical injury to real or personal property.
             30          (2) "Good faith" means that the purpose of the volunteer is to provide service directly as
             31      an independent volunteer, or directly or indirectly through an organization and that the volunteer's
             32      actions are not for the benefit of another person or entity except the person or entity being served.
             33          (3) "Governmental entity" means:
             34          (a) the state;
             35          (b) any department, agency, institution, instrumentality, office, college, university,
             36      authority, division, board, bureau, commission, council, or other agency of the state;
             37          (c) any Olympic Winter Games organizing committee or instrumentality thereof, as
             38      approved by the Utah Sports Authority;
             39          (d) any county, city, town, school district, or special district; or
             40          (e) any other political subdivision.
             41          (4) "Gratuitous" or "gratuitously" means without actual or expected compensation or
             42      payment for services in money or any other thing of value, whether per diem or otherwise, except
             43      where the payment is solely for the purpose of reimbursing subsistence, travel, or other expense
             44      reasonably incurred by the person performing those services.
             45          (5) "Gross negligence" or "grossly negligent" means:
             46          (a) the failure to observe even slight care; or
             47          (b) recklessness to a degree that shows utter indifference to the consequences that may
             48      result.
             49          (6) "Injury" means any kind of harm to a person other than property damage.
             50          (7) "Nonprofit organization" means:
             51          (a) any organization that is described in Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code
             52      of 1986 and is exempt from tax under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code; or
             53          (b) any not-for-profit organization that is formed and conducted for public benefit and
             54      operated primarily for humanitarian, charitable, civic, educational, religious, benevolent, welfare,
             55      or health purposes, and that does not distribute its income or assets to its members, directors,
             56      officers, or other participants, except as provided in this chapter.
             57          (8) "Organization" means a firm, partnership, association, agency, entity, corporation,
             58      company, or group of individuals acting together for a common purpose, whether public or private.


             59          (9) (a) "Volunteer" means an individual who gratuitously performs services for an
             60      individual, a nonprofit organization, or a governmental entity.
             61          (b) "Volunteer" includes a director, officer, or trustee of a nonprofit organization or
             62      governmental entity who receives a stipend of not more than $500 per year from the organization
             63      or entity.
             64          (c) "Volunteer" includes an employee of any organization that provides the employee's
             65      services as a volunteer even though the volunteer continues to receive wages or salary from the
             66      organization while the services are being performed.
             67          Section 3. Section 78-19-201 is enacted to read:
             68     
Part 2. Volunteer Immunity

             69          78-19-201. Liability protection for volunteers.
             70          Except as provided in Section 78-19-202 , a volunteer is not liable for damage or injury
             71      caused by an act or omission of the volunteer while providing volunteer services if:
             72          (1) the volunteer was acting in good faith; and
             73          (2) the damage or injury was not the result of the volunteer's gross negligence, intention,
             74      or purpose.
             75          Section 4. Section 78-19-202 is enacted to read:
             76          78-19-202. Exceptions to immunity.
             77          The protection against liability in this chapter does not apply if, at the time the damage or
             78      injury occurred, the volunteer causing the damage or injury:
             79          (1) was engaged in misconduct that constitutes a crime under state or federal law;
             80          (2) was under the influence of a controlled substance; or
             81          (3) was under the influence of alcohol in accordance with the standard set forth in Section
             82      41-6-44 .
             83          Section 5. Section 78-19-301 is enacted to read:
             84     
Part 3. Applicability

             85          78-19-301. Applicability.
             86          This chapter applies to any claim for damage or injury caused by an act or omission of a
             87      volunteer occurring after July 1, 2000.
             88          Section 6. Section 78-19-401 is enacted to read:
             89     
Part 4. Coordination with Federal Law


             90          78-19-401. Election of nonapplicability required by federal law.
             91          In accordance with Section 3(b) of Public Law 105-19, Utah declares its election that
             92      Public Law 105-19 does not apply in any civil action in a state court against a volunteer in which
             93      all parties are citizens of this state.
             94          Section 7. Repealer.
             95          This act repeals:
             96          Section 78-19-1, Definitions.
             97          Section 78-19-2, Liability protection for volunteers -- Exceptions.
             98          Section 78-19-3, Liability protection for organizations.
             99          Section 8. Effective date.
             100          This act takes effect on July 1, 2000.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-5-00 9:49 AM


This legislation raises the following constitutional or statutory concerns:

Article I, Section 11 of the Utah Constitution, Utah's "open courts" provision, provides that all
courts shall be open and every person shall have a remedy available for an injury. In interpreting
this constitutional provision, the Utah Supreme Court has held that when the Legislature removes
a remedy at law, it must either provide an effective and reasonable alternative by due course of law
or the Legislature must establish that there is a clear social or economic evil to be eliminated and
that the elimination of the remedy at law is not an arbitrary or unreasonable means for achieving
that objective. Berry v. Beech Aircraft Corp. 717 P. 2d 670, 676 (Utah 1985). This legislation,
by providing blanket immunity for volunteers, removes a remedy at law but does not provide any
alternative remedy. Unless the Legislature affirmatively establishes the existence of a clear social
and economic ill to be eliminated, and affirmatively establishes that this grant of immunity to
volunteers is not an arbitrary or unreasonable means of removing that ill, this legislation will
probably be declared unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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