Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill Tuesday that places a cap on future pain-and-suffering awards in medical malpractice cases. Advocates of the bill, which limits pain-and-suffering damages at $500,000, increasing to $750,000 in 2011 and $1 million in 2017, allege multimillion-dollar verdicts in the state have caused insurance premiums to soar, leading many physicians to leave Mississippi or discontinue their practice. Critics, however, say insurance companies have raised premiums to cover their losses caused by bad investments over the last few years.

The issue has been heavily debated in Congress in recent months. In September, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that will cap medical malpractice awards and limit the time frame in which a potential plaintiff can file a malpractice lawsuit. The Democratic-controlled Senate, however, is expected to reject the bill, something it has done six times since 1995. Governor Musgrove follows in the footsteps of Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, who in August also signed a bill placing limits on pain-and-suffering awards.