A 2682: Requires the hourly compensation and reimbursement rate for representation to be subject to an annual cost of living increase as governed by the United States Criminal Justice Act; provides that all hourly rates shall be increased automatically each year in accordance with any federal pay comparability adjustment.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2682 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 22, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary AN ACT to amend the county law and the judiciary law, in relation to hourly compensation and reimbursement for representation; and to repeal certain provisions of the county law relating thereto The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 722-b of the county law is 2 REPEALED and a new subdivision 2 is added to read as follows: 3 2. Hourly compensation to be received pursuant to subdivision one of 4 this section shall be subject to an annual cost of living increase as 5 governed by the United States Criminal Justice Act and all hourly rates 6 shall be increased automatically each year in accordance with any feder- 7 al pay comparability adjustment. Such adjustment shall be effective on 8 April first in the same year that the cost of living adjustment goes 9 into effect for federal defenders. 10 § 2. Section 35 of the judiciary law is amended by adding two new 11 subdivisions 9 and 10 to read as follows: 12 9. Hourly compensation to be received pursuant to subdivision three of 13 this section shall be subject to an annual cost of living increase as 14 governed by the United States Criminal Justice Act and all hourly rates 15 shall be increased automatically each year in accordance with any feder- 16 al pay comparability adjustment. Such adjustment shall be effective on 17 April first in the same year that the cost of living adjustment goes 18 into effect for federal defenders. 19 10. All expenses for providing counsel and services pursuant to subdi- 20 vision three of this section shall be funded by the state. 21 § 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2026. Effective immediately, 22 the addition, amendment, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 23 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 24 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03749-02-5