Courts - Digest of Bills

Digest of Bills - 1996

COURTS

S.B. 96-13 School crossing guards - immunity. Immunizes school crossing guards and their sponsors from civil liability, except for damages or injuries caused by willful and wanton acts or omissions, if the guard was acting within the scope of such guard's duties. Defines "school crossing guard" as any person 18 years of age or older who assists school children at a street or intersection and "school crossing guard sponsor" as any governmental agency, nonprofit organization, or individual that organizes school crossing guards.

APPROVED by Governor June 3, 1996
EFFECTIVE June 3, 1996

H.B. 96-1001 Civil remedies available to survivors of homicide victims. Eliminates the $250,000 limit on damages for noneconomic loss or injury in a wrongful death action where the act causing the death constitutes a felonious killing, as defined in the "Colorado Probate Code". Amends the personal property exemption statute to prevent a person who has committed an act found to be a felonious killing from exempting any personal property from attachment or levy in satisfaction of a judgment awarded under the wrongful death statutes for such felonious killing.

Applies to civil actions filed on or after July 1, 1996.

APPROVED by Governor March 20, 1996
EFFECTIVE July 1, 1996

H.B. 96-1279 Resigned and retired judges - appointment. Expands the use of retired judges in pending civil actions to include resigned judges when all parties agree on a specific judge. Extends provisions to include judges from the court of appeals. Allows the parties rather than the chief justice to select the retired or resigned judge. Specifies that the salary and expenses paid to such judge are to be agreed upon by the parties and the presiding judge rather than set as the amount paid to retired judges appointed at state expense. Authorizes the retired or resigned judge to be appointed once the case is at issue rather then when discovery is completed.

APPROVED by Governor March 25, 1996
EFFECTIVE See Note
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. It will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly unless a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of the state constitution. In that event, the act will take effect on the date of the official proclamation of the governor, if it is approved by the voters at the 1996 election.