WASHINGTON STATE SENATE PASSES TORT REFORM BILL.The Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 Senators, respresenting an equal number of districts across the state, each with a population of nearly 120,000. passed a comprehensive tort reform bill Feb. 10 by a vote of 27-22, limiting liability of doctors, builders, governments and manufacturers in a variety of ways. The Republican-dominated Senate passed similar legislation a year ago, but it died in the Democrat-controlled House. House Judiciary Chairwoman Pat Lantz (D) said the House will take up legislation affecting liability this week. But some of the measures are notably different. One bill, HB 2326, would adopt a "three strikes" policy for doctors, nurses and other health care providers who commit serious offenses. It would also grant the state Department of Health the power to investigate and sanction sanction, in law and ethics, any inducement to individuals or groups to follow or refrain from following a particular course of conduct. All societies impose sanctions on their members in order to encourage approved behavior. providers, instead of leaving discipline to professional boards. The Liability Reform Coalition, which backed the Senate bill, SB 5728, is looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. better results this year, largely because of rising premiums for malpractice insurance Noun 1. malpractice insurance - insurance purchased by physicians and hospitals to cover the cost of being sued for malpractice; "obstetricians have to pay high rates for malpractice insurance" . "There are some counties in this state where there's no doctors left to deliver babies," Senate Majority Leader Bill Finkbeiner (R) said before the bill passed. "We're saying: 'Here's a solution to a very serious problem'," he said. The state's largest professional liability insurer, Physicians Insurance, has promised a 10 percent reduction in medical liability insurance by the year 2005 if the reform is enacted. SB 5728 includes a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages, which would require a constitutional amendment. In addition, provisions affecting malpractice malpractice, failure to provide professional services with the skill usually exhibited by responsible and careful members of the profession, resulting in injury, loss, or damage to the party contracting those services. litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. would require advance notice of a claim, allow evidence of income from collateral sources such as insurance to be introduced into evidence, require arbitration of disputes, allow periodic payments of future damages and set a three-year statute of limitations A type of federal or state law that restricts the time within which legal proceedings may be brought. Statutes of limitations, which date back to early Roman Law, are a fundamental part of European and U.S. law. unless there is evidence of fraud. Some of the other provisions would restrict judgments against state and local government and offer various levels of liability relief to insurers, builders, employers giving references for former employees, public hospitals and professionals licensed by the state. |
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