Bill Text: NY S02355 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Enacts the "family court adjusted service time (FAST) act"; requires family courts in New York City to remain open until midnight on at least one weekday each week in at least two counties effective January 1, 2025, and in at least three counties, effective January 1, 2026.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-06-05 - referred to judiciary [S02355 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02355-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         2355--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 20, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary  --  recommitted
          to the Committee on Judiciary in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
          --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
          and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to enacting the "fami-
          ly court adjusted service time (FAST)  act";  and  providing  for  the
          repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "family court adjusted service time (FAST) act".
     3    § 2. Subdivision (a) of section 161 of the family court act is amended
     4  to read as follows:
     5    (a)  The days and hours the court is open shall be as provided by rule
     6  of court; provided, that the chief administrator  of  the  courts  shall
     7  require  that  the court remain open until midnight at least one night a
     8  week in at least two counties in the city of New York, effective January
     9  first, two thousand twenty-five, and in at least three counties in  such
    10  city,  effective  January  first,  two thousand twenty-six. When a court
    11  remains open until midnight on a  day  as  provided  herein,  the  chief
    12  administrator  shall determine the classes of cases that may be heard in
    13  such court after five o'clock p.m. and such  classes  of  cases  may  be
    14  heard  by  the court until midnight on such day; except that, where such
    15  classes include cases in which petitions are filed pursuant to  articles
    16  three,  six,  eight,  and ten of this act, the clerk of such court shall
    17  accept such petitions until eleven o'clock p.m. on such day.
    18    § 3. Not later than December 1, 2026, the chief administrator  of  the
    19  courts  shall  submit  to  the  legislature, the governor, and the chief
    20  judge of the state a report evaluating the use of family  court  in  the
    21  counties wherein the chief administrator, pursuant to subdivision (a) of

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05182-04-4
        S. 2355--A                          2

     1  section  161 of the family court act, as amended pursuant to section one
     2  of this act, has required that the court remain open until midnight.
     3    §  4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire April 1,
     4  2027 when upon such date the provisions of  this  act  shall  be  deemed
     5  repealed.