S-3770.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6187

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Sheldon, Prentice, Thibaudeau and Snyder

Read first time 01/08/96.  Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

Providing for mandatory arbitration for actions to quiet title.

    AN ACT Relating to mandatory arbitration for actions to quiet title to real property; and reenacting and amending RCW 7.06.020.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 7.06.020 and 1987 c 212 s 101 and 1987 c 202 s 127 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

    (1) All civil actions, except for appeals from municipal or district courts, which are at issue in the superior court in counties which have authorized arbitration, where the sole relief sought is a money judgment, and where no party asserts a claim in excess of fifteen thousand dollars, or if approved by the superior court of a county by two-thirds or greater vote of the judges thereof, up to thirty-five thousand dollars, exclusive of interest and costs, are subject to mandatory arbitration.

    (2) If approved by majority vote of the superior court judges of a county which has authorized arbitration, all civil actions which are at issue in the superior court in which the sole relief sought is the establishment, termination or modification of maintenance or child support payments are subject to mandatory arbitration.  The arbitrability of any such action shall not be affected by the amount or number of payments involved.

(3) All civil actions which are at issue in the superior court in which the relief sought is an action to quiet title to real property are subject to mandatory arbitration.

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