Senate Passes Bonacic’s Legislation Making Key Improvements to the Practice of Electronic Filing by the State Judicial System

(Albany, NY)-The New York State Senate passed legislation, Senate Bill S5833, sponsored by Senator Bonacic that would make key improvements to the practice of electronic filing (e-filing) by the state judicial system. Starting in 1999, the state began to introduce a pilot program in the use of electronic means for the purpose of commencing certain categories of cases and filing court papers with Judges and adverse parties.

Authorization for the states e-filing program was set to expire on September 1, 2015. This legislation would eliminate this sunset and expand the e-filing program. To date  there have been more than 820,000 cases e-filed in New York's courts By year's end the projection is that number will grow to over one million cases, and over 58,000 attorneys have become registered users of the state’s e-filing program.

"Electronic filing saves money, enhances the efficiency of the court system and reduces the number of trips attorneys have to make to file papers at a courthouse,” said Bonacic. “Several leading legal organizations in New York support this legislation, including the New York State Bar Association, as well as most elected County Clerks throughout the state."

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