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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 57
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 3899a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to judiciary
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to judiciary
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.1604
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to judiciary
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to increasing the number of family court judges in Chautauqua county
In Assembly Committee · Judiciary · Sponsor Andrew Goodell
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S3899A
Title of bill
An act to amend the family court act, in relation to the number of family court judges in the county of Chautauqua
Purpose
The purpose of this legislation is to increase the number of family court judges in Chautauqua County.
Summary of provisions
This legislation would amend Section 131 of the family court act by adding a new subdivision (u).
Justification
Chautauqua County is the third busiest family court in the Eighth Judicial District, trailing behind Niagara by little more than 1,000 cases. Niagara County has two family court judges as well as four family court support magistrates. They also have three supreme court justices that have concurrent jurisdiction with the family court judges.
Currently, Chautauqua County has only one family court judge who handles all family related matters. Usually, the caseload for Chautauqua County hovers around 4,000 cases per year, however, recently there has been a dramatic increase. Now, Judge Judith Claire, the sole family court judge, is assigned approximately 9,000 cases a year.
Two days a week an Erie County Family Court Judge is sent to help with the caseload in Chautauqua County, however, this puts more stress on the Erie County Family Court calendar and is simply not sustainable.
Additionally, Chautauqua County only has two full-time City Court Judges who already have an abundant caseload and therefore are not readily available to be made as acting family court judges.
Further, although supreme court has concurrent jurisdiction with the family court over family matters, there is also only one Supreme Court Justice in Chautauqua County who also grapples with a heavy caseload.
This legislation would therefore decrease the burden on Chautauqua County's sole family court judge help them address the high case load.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
$119,800 to the state, as laid out in Judiciary Law Article 7(b) Section 221-E.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the additional family court judge in the county of Chautauqua provided for in this act shall first be elected in the general election to be held in November 2014 and shall take office on January 1, 2015.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.