AUGUSTA – The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Monday in support of creating a new business court in Maine.

The proposed bill, LD 1518, would increase the number of state judges in Maine from 49 to 53 and dedicate two existing judges to a new business-only court docket.

State supreme court Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, who is head of the state’s judicial branch of government, has said the bill would help relieve the backlog of cases in Maine’s court system. The estimated cost of the new court and judges is “just over” $1 million, according to Saufley.

The bill will be sent with the unanimous recommendation to the House and Senate for further votes.