 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          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
Enacts the family court adjusted service time (FAST) act

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