AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- JUDGMENTS, ORDERS, AND DECREES

HB 5179 changes how interest is calculated in civil court judgments involving monetary damages. Instead of a fixed 12% rate, it sets interest at the coupon yield equivalent of the most recent 52-week U.S. Treasury bill auction before the lawsuit was filed. This applies to most civil cases, but excludes medical malpractice claims (like personal injury or wrongful death against doctors or hospitals), which retain their own interest calculation rules. The bill takes effect upon passage and directly affects plaintiffs, defendants, and courts handling civil monetary judgments.