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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8225--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
November 6, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BERGER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Judiciary -- recommitted to the Committee on Judiciary in accord-
ance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
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.
LBD05182-05-4
A. 8225--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.
