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, 2026, and in at least three counties, effective January 1, 2027.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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3170
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
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-six, and in at least three counties in such
10 city, effective January first, two thousand twenty-seven. 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, 2027, 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
22 section 161 of the family court act, as amended in section two of this
23 act, has required that the court remain open until midnight.
24 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire April 1,
25 2028 when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed
26 repealed.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05531-01-5
