S 3170: Enacts the "family court adjusted service time (FAST) act"; requires family courts in New York City to remain open until midnight on at least one weekday each week in at least two counties effective January 1, 2026, and in at least three counties, effective January 1, 2027.

  
  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