BILL NUMBER: S5316
SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the uniform justice court act, in relation to civil
jurisdictional limits and increasing filing fees
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
Increases the jurisdictional limit from $3,000 to $5,000 for justice
courts.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS::
Section one of this bill amends section 201 of the Uniform Justice Court
Act to increase the jurisdictional limit of small claims, money actions,
and actions to recover chattels from $3,000 to $5,000.
Section two of this bill amends section 202 of the Uniform Justice Court
Act to increase the jurisdictional limit of small claims, money actions,
and actions to recover chattels from $3,000 to $5,000.
Section three of the bill amends section 1801 of the uniform justice
court act as it relates to the definition of small claims.
Section four of the bill amends section 1803 of the uniform justice
court act as it relates to increasing the filing fees from $10 to $15
for claims less than $1,000 and from $15 to $20 for claims over $1,000.
The bill was previously amended to increase the filing fees for small
claims cases to address additional caseload that would result from
expanding the number of cases that could be brought to small claims
court.
 
JUSTIFICATION::
Jurisdictional limits in the Uniform Justice Court Act were last
increased over thirty years ago from $2,000 to $3,000 (Chap. 268 of
1977) and small claims defined over thirteen years ago from $2,000 to
$3,000 (Chap. 76 of 1976). This $3,000 limit is no longer adequate to
cover many basic claims, with the result that claimants are forced to
choose between artificially lowering their claims to fall within the
limits or litigating outside of the local justice courts. To bring a
case in supreme court costs over $200. This bill will bring the limits
up to date allowing citizens to litigate small matters without the cost
and expense of Supreme Court.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2023-24: Referred to Judiciary
2021-22: Referred to Judiciary
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE::
The first of January next succeeding the date on which it becomes a law,
with provisions concerning applicability for actions filed on or after
such date.