What's happening
This bill requires the courts to submit an annual report on New York's problem-solving courts.
Why it matters
Brings statewide transparency. by requiring detailed annual data on all problem-solving courts (such as drug, mental health, and veterans courts), impacting how policymakers and the public understand their reach and effectiveness across New York.
Impacts court administrators, staff, and participants. by mandating the tracking and public reporting of staffing levels, resources, enrollment, retention, and completion—potentially driving resource shifts or reforms if gaps or successes are identified.
Could influence future funding and policy decisions. by providing legislators and the governor with comprehensive, standardized information on how these courts operate, helping to shape criminal justice strategies and resource allocation in diverse communities statewide.
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Who cares
New York State Legislature and Governor
They will directly receive the annual report and use its findings to inform policy decisions, budget allocations, and potential legislative actions regarding problem-solving courts.
Judiciary/Court Administrators
Court leadership and administrators responsible for managing problem-solving courts will need to gather, analyze, and report the required data, and may be held accountable for their courts’ performance.
Advocacy Groups and Legal Aid Organizations
Groups focused on criminal justice reform, mental health, substance abuse, and other social issues will be interested in the data for advocacy, oversight, and program improvement.
Participants and Families Involved with Problem-Solving Courts
Individuals who participate in or are affected by these courts (such as drug courts or mental health courts) and their families may care about transparency, outcomes, and resource allocation highlighted in the annual report.
Headline styles
Annual Problem-Solving Court Report
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10440
IN SENATE
May 15, 2026
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring the chief administrator of the courts to submit an annual report on problemsolving courts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 212 of the judiciary law is amended by adding a new paragraph (gg) to read as follows:
(gg) Submit annually, on or before the fifteenth day of March, to the legislature and the governor a report on the administration, function and effectiveness of all problem-solving courts operating in the state during the preceding year. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, a summary of statewide and pilot projects being implemented within the problem-solving courts, available information on court staffing levels and resources dedicated to the problem-solving courts, data on participant enrollment, retention, and completion rates, and coordination efforts among court teams and other justice system partners.
§ 2. Paragraph (aa) of subdivision 2 of section 212 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 593 of the laws of 2021, is relettered paragraph (aa-1).
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15920-01-6
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring the chief administrator of the courts to submit an annual report on problem-solv- ing courts
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation would require the chief administrator of the courts to report annually to the legislature and the governor about the function and effectiveness of Problem-Solving Courts.
Summary of provisions
The bill amends section 212 of the judiciary law to require the Chief administrator of the courts to report annually to the legislature and the governor about the function and effectiveness of problem-solving courts.
Justification
Problem-solving courts are currently operating in criminal and family courts throughout the state. These courts offer non-violent offen- ders an opportunity to participate in treatment programs as an alterna- tive to incarceration. In many, cases, community services organizations provide the required treatment to participants. However, many of these community service providers suffer from_a lack of resources and they are generally not able to access funding through the problem-solving court programs. This bill requires the Office of Court Administration to report to the governor and the legislature regarding the function of the problem-solving courts, including information about the participation level of community service providers. This information will better enable the legislature to determine and realize the necessity of increased funding for the community service providers that play a vital role in, the success of problem-solving courts across the state.
Prior legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications for state or governments
To be determined.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.