Senate Bill 255 Summary

• Courts must provide written copies of jury instructions to juries in medical malpractice cases and a single judge must be designated to preside over all proceedings in such cases, effective October 1, 2021.

• Master jury lists for 2022-2023 may be adjusted to 1.25 to 3 times the number of names drawn during 2018-2019 to account for COVID-19 pandemic effects, with minimum of 500 names per county.

• Clarifies procedures for exempt property designation after judgment, including 20-day deadlines for debtors to designate exemptions and appeal rights to district court judges.

• Allows judicial proceedings to be conducted by audio and video transmission for all proceeding types, with requirements to safeguard constitutional rights and allow confidential attorney communication.

• Permits settlement agreements in mediated settlement conferences to be signed by parties' designees rather than requiring party signatures, and allows unsworn declarations under penalty of perjury for electronically filed documents effective December 1, 2021.