NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8701
SPONSOR: Stec TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the family court act, in relation to
authorizing the creation of an additional family court judgeship in the
county of Warren
PURPOSE: Provides for the election of an additional family court
judge for the county of Warren.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 131 of the family court act to add a new subdi-
vision (u) to provide that the county of Warren shall have one addi-
tional family court judge and the number of such judges now existing in
such county is hereby increased accordingly. Further it directs that the
compensation of such additional family court judge shall be the same as
the compensation of the existing family court judge in such county.
Section 2 Contains the effective date.
EXISTING LAW: Under section 131 of the family court act Warren County
is authorized to have two County level Judges but only one of these
judges can sit in Family Court.
JUSTIFICATION: In 2007, a commission was appointed by former Chief
Judge Judith S. Kaye, which recommended that 39 Family Court Judges
were needed to deal with the crisis in New York's Family Courts. This
recommendation was incorporated into a bill and Warren county was one of
the Counties determined to have a need for an additional Family Court
Judge. Despite support for the legislation the bill did not pass
partially due to the economic downturn in 2008. Six years later, the
need for an increase in Family Court Judgeships is even greater.
Warren Country Family Court is no exception to the rule of increased
filing and appearances. The families and children of Warren County are
in crisis deserve no less than other counties in New York State, and now
is the time to amend the law to secure a second Family Court Judgeship
in Warren County. Currently, Warren County has two County level judges
but only one Judge can sit in Family Court. Other Counties which have
less population than Warren County have an additional County level Judge
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: The cost of an additional Family Court Judge
will be $119,800 per year as prescribed by Judiciary Law Article 7-B
section 221-e, plus other compensation costs that may be incurred.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately; provide that
the additional family court judge in the county of Warren 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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8701
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2014
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STEC -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to authorizing the
creation of an additional family court judgeship in the county of
Warren
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 131 of the family court act is amended by adding a
2 new subdivision (u) to read as follow:
3 (u) In the county of Warren there shall be one additional family court
4 judge and the number of such judges now existing in such county is here-
5 by increased accordingly. The compensation of such additional family
6 court judge shall be the same as the compensation of the existing family
7 court judge in such county.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the addi-
9 tional family court judge in the county of Warren provided for in this
10 act shall first be elected in the general election to be held in Novem-
11 ber 2014 and shall take office on January 1, 2015.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13730-02-4
