Pennsylvania Tables Revisions To Uniform Arbitration Act

Perhaps to avoid a battle between the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers, the Pennsylvania legislature tabled consideration of House Bill 23 which provided for major amendments to the Uniform Arbitration Act.

HB 23 was sponsored by Representative Grell from Cumberland County and proposed both procedural and substantive amendments to the Uniform Arbitration Act. In summary the Bill proposed to: 

• Change the title of the Act from The Uniform Arbitration Act to the Statutory Arbitration Act;
• Rescind Chapter A – Uniform Arbitration Act;
• Add a new Subchapter A.1 which would be known as the Statutory Arbitration Act;
• Set forth the powers of the Court to determine if an agreement to arbitrate exists and whether a controversy is subject to the agreement;