Senate committee advances SB 1196 to strengthen enforceability of recreational liability waivers

The Senate Finance and Revenue Committee on June 18 heard extended testimony on Senate Bill 1196, a proposal to make liability waivers and the inherent‑risk doctrine more enforceable for recreation providers. After public testimony that split sharply between outfitters and insurer representatives on one side and trial lawyers and consumer advocates on the other, the committee adopted the dash‑2 amendment and voted to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due‑pass recommendation.

Proponents — owners of guiding companies, county search-and-rescue volunteers and representatives of the ski and resort insurance market — told the committee the current liability climate has made insurance unaffordable or unavailable for many recreation providers. Zeke Heitkamp, owner and co-founder of Next Adventure, described the company’s decision to close: “We are going to be sued and…