S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9855--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 5, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules --  commit-
   tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
   mitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the family court act and the New York city  civil  court
   act, in relation to increasing the number of judges in certain courts

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 121 of the family court act, as amended by  chapter
 749 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   §  121. Number of judges. The family court within the city of New York
 shall consist of sixty-three judges, effective January first, two  thou-
 sand [twenty-four] TWENTY-FIVE. There shall be at least one family court
 judge  resident in each county of the city of New York; PROVIDED, HOWEV-
 ER, THAT THERE SHALL BE AT LEAST THREE FAMILY COURT JUDGE  RESIDENTS  IN
 THE COUNTY OF RICHMOND.
   §  2. Section 102-a of the New York city civil court act is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 2-b to read as follows:
   2-B. FIFTEEN ADDITIONAL JUDGES OF THE CIVIL COURT OF THE CITY  OF  NEW
 YORK  SHALL  BE ELECTED IN AND FROM THE RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUN-
 TIES IN THE INDICATED NUMBERS: FROM THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, THREE;  FROM
 THE  COUNTY  OF  BRONX, THREE; FROM THE COUNTY OF KINGS, THREE; FROM THE
 COUNTY OF QUEENS, THREE; AND FROM THE COUNTY OF RICHMOND, THREE.    SUCH
 ADDITIONAL  JUDGES  SHALL  RECEIVE THE SAME COMPENSATION AS THE EXISTING
 JUDGES OF THE CIVIL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND SHALL  BE  ELECTED
 COUNTYWIDE WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
   §  3.  Section  131 of the family court act is amended by adding a new
 subdivision (x) to read as follows:
   (X) THERE SHALL BE AN ADDITIONAL FAMILY COURT JUDGE FOR  EACH  OF  THE
 FOLLOWING COUNTIES: CAYUGA, CHENANGO, CORTLAND, ERIE, JEFFERSON, RENSSE-
 LAER,  ROCKLAND AND WESTCHESTER. MOREOVER, THERE SHALL BE TWO ADDITIONAL
 FAMILY COURT JUDGES FROM THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK AND THERE  SHALL  BE  TWO
 ADDITIONAL  FAMILY  COURT  JUDGES FROM THE COUNTY OF NASSAU. THE COMPEN-
 SATION OF EACH SUCH ADDITIONAL FAMILY COURT JUDGE SHALL BE THE  SAME  AS
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15854-02-4
 S. 9855--A                          2
 
 THE COMPENSATION PAID TO EACH EXISTING FAMILY COURT JUDGE IN SUCH COUNTY
 OR, IF THERE IS NO SEPARATELY-ELECTED FAMILY COURT JUDGE IN SUCH COUNTY,
 THE SAME AS THE COMPENSATION PAID TO A JUDGE OF THE COUNTY COURT IN SUCH
 COUNTY.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that
 the positions created by sections two and three of  this  act  shall  be
 filled  by  election  at  the  November  5, 2024 election, for a term to
 commence on the first day of January, 2025, as if such vacancy  occurred
 on  the  effective  date of this act. Party nominations shall be made as
 provided for in section 6-116 and 6-158 of the  election  law,  and  the
 independent  nominations shall be made as provided for by subdivision 10
 of section 6-158 of the election law.