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 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 2nd day of August, 2007.

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 8:32 p.m. this 27th day of August, 2007