Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Claims Commission Limits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel raises state claims-commission caps, citing 1984 limits and inflation
Summary
The subcommittee approved HB 14-56 to raise Tennessee Claims Commission limits to $500,000 per claimant and $1,500,000 per occurrence, noting the 1984 caps have not been adjusted and consumer-price-index adjustments would place current equivalents much higher.
Chairman Bullsoe presented HB 14-56 seeking to increase the Claims Commission limits from $300,000 per claimant and $1,000,000 per occurrence (set in 1984) to $500,000 and $1,500,000 respectively. The sponsor observed that, adjusted for inflation, $300,000 in 1984 dollars would be roughly $950,000 today and $1,000,000 would be roughly $3,200,000, calling the proposed increases modest in that context.
"This bill seeks to increase the limits of claims that are brought before the Tennessee claims commission," the sponsor said, adding that the change would apply to the state and state employees (local governments are governed by a different statute). The committee voted to send HB 14-56 to full judiciary (7 ayes, 0 nos).
Supporters in the record said the higher caps would better serve claimants who, in some recent cases, received the prior statutory maximum even though the claim values exceeded that limit.
