By Mary Jo Pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com
With the state facing nearly a quarter-billion dollars in legal claims from last year’s deadly Yarnell Hill Fire, Arizona lawmakers are considering legislation that would grant the state immunity from similar lawsuits in the future.
House Bill 2343, which advanced Tuesday, would give the state immunity from prosecution for harm resulting from the action, or inaction, by state employees on state lands. Lightning ignited the Yarnell Hill Fire on state trust land that had grown thick with chaparral.
The measure provides an across-the-board protection from liability, even if the state is negligent. It applies to state lands as well as the state forester, natural-resource conservation districts and state-controlled streambeds.
