The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday amended and reported out House Bill 323 (Grove-R-York) creating a Commerce Divisions within the PA Superior Court.
“By establishing these specialty divisions, Pennsylvania takes an important step for growing our economy,” said Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), Majority Chair of the Committee. “It has been proven that businesses locate their operations based off the integrity, efficiency and predictability of the legal system.”
This legislation is modeled after the successful Commerce Case Management Program in Philadelphia. The creation of this specialty division within the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia fostered a specialty amongst judges hearing commerce cases.
Over the last decade the result has been effective, efficient and predictable rulings from Philadelphia judges on complex business cases. Commerce Courts at the local level are not isolated to Philadelphia, as other CCPs have established Commerce Courts to handle complex business cases within their jurisdiction.
This legislation promotes the same specialization at the state level.
These business cases include corporate acquisitions, mergers, dissolution, liquidations or other matters concerning corporations, limited liability companies, trusts, sole proprietorships and corporate partnerships.
“Obviously, there will be instances where companies may not agree with court rulings. However, by creating a transparent and efficient process that business owners can rely on, more job creators will open their business in Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Marsico. “The result of the improvement in our legal system is not only more Pennsylvania businesses, but more Pennsylvania jobs.”
A sponsor summary of the bill is available.
