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Senate Finance Committee Chair John A. DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chair Herman D. Farrell, Jr. today announced Joint Legislative Budget Hearings will continue on Wednesday, February 9 and will focus on Public Protection.

Joint legislative hearings will continue through March 3, 2011 and are available for live viewing on the Senate and Assembly websites and the Legislative Channel (available on cable systems throughout the state), but will be preempted when the houses are in session. At the conclusion of the legislative deliberations, live televised coverage of the hearings will resume.

Witnesses scheduled to testify include:
NYS Office of Court Administration Chief Administrative Judge Hon. Ann Pfau;
NYS Division of Homeland Security Commissioner John Gibb;
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Sean M. Byrne;
NYS Department of Correctional Services Commissioner Brian Fischer;
NYS Division of Parole Chairwoman & CEO Andrea W. Evans;
NYS Division of State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico;
NYS Office of Technology Chief Information Office & Director of Office Technology Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart;
NYS Correctional Officers President Donn Rowe;
New York Bar Association President Stephen P. Younger;
Prisoners' Legal Service of NYC Director of Communications & Gov't Relations Edwina Martin;
The Fund for Modern Courts Executive Director Dennis Hawkins;
ATI & Reentry Coalition Director of NYS Policy Tracie Gardner;
Empire Justice Center CEO Anne Erickson;
Empire Justice Center Director of Policy Advocacy Kristine Brown Lilley;
Legal Aid Society Attorney in Chief Steve Banks; and
Association of Legal Aid Attorneys President Deborah Wright.

Testimony is also expected from:
NYS Defenders Association Executive Director Jonathan Gradess;
Commission on Judicial Conduct Administrator & Counsel Robert Tembeckjian;
NYS Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Counsel Sandra Rivera;
The Constantine Institute Director Terry O'Neill;
The Legal Project Executive Director Lisa Frisch;
Leap Coalition Chair Harvey Epstein,
NYC Bar Association President Samuel Seymour;
Correctional Association of NY Director of Prison Visiting Project Jack Beck;
Thomas Mungeer of the NYS Troopers PBA;
Lillian Moy of Legal Services Funding Alliance; and
NYS Coalition for Operation SNUG Advocate Barbara Smith.