1-1 By: Duncan (Senate Sponsor - Sibley) H.B. No. 354 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1995; 1-3 May 15, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Economic 1-4 Development; May 22, 1995, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 22, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to insurance for a charitable organization. 1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-10 SECTION 1. Section 84.007(g), Civil Practice and Remedies 1-11 Code, is amended to read as follows: 1-12 (g) Sections 84.005 and 84.006 of this Act do not apply to 1-13 any charitable organization that does not have liability insurance 1-14 coverage in effect on any act or omission to which this chapter 1-15 applies. The coverage shall apply to the acts or omissions of the 1-16 organization and its employees and volunteers and be in the amount 1-17 of at least $500,000 for each person and $1,000,000 for each single 1-18 occurrence for death or bodily injury and $100,000 for each single 1-19 occurrence for injury to or destruction of property. The coverage 1-20 may be provided under a contract of insurance or other plan of 1-21 insurance authorized by statute and may be satisfied by the 1-22 purchase of a $1,000,000 bodily injury and property damage combined 1-23 single limit policy. Nothing in this chapter shall limit liability 1-24 of any insurer or insurance plan in an action under Chapter 21, 1-25 Insurance Code, or in an action for bad faith conduct, breach of 1-26 fiduciary duty, or negligent failure to settle a claim. 1-27 SECTION 2. Article 5.01, Insurance Code, is amended by 1-28 adding Subsection (g) to read as follows: 1-29 (g) The commissioner may establish by rule a classification 1-30 of risk applicable to motor vehicles used for limited purposes by 1-31 nonprofit organizations. If a classification of risk is 1-32 established under this subsection, the commissioner shall adopt 1-33 rules to classify risks and define the limited uses permissible for 1-34 motor vehicles insured under the classification. The commissioner 1-35 may not adopt rules under this subsection that result in insurance 1-36 premium rates for nonprofit organizations exceeding the insurance 1-37 premium rates of other analogous classifications of risk applicable 1-38 to motor vehicles used by entities other than nonprofit 1-39 organizations. In this subsection, "nonprofit organization" means 1-40 any organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 1-41 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by being listed as an 1-42 exempt organization in Section 501(c)(3) or (c)(4) of that code. 1-43 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-44 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-45 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-46 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-47 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-48 * * * * *