BILL NUMBER: S7674
SPONSOR: BASKIN
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the uniform city court act, in relation to the residence
of the part-time judge of the city court of Lackawanna; and repealing
certain sections of such law relating thereto
 
PURPOSE:
This bill amends the uniform city court act to permit the part-time
judge of the city court of Lackawanna to reside anywhere in Erie County.
It also repeals a previous provision relating to this issue to eliminate
conflicting language.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill repeals paragraph 1 of subdivision (b) of section
2104 of the uniform city court act, as amended by chapter 138 of the
laws of 2018.
Section 2 amends paragraph 1 of subdivision (b) of section 2104 of the
uniform city court act, as amended by chapter 548 of the laws of 2013,
to specifically provide that the part-time judge of the Lackawanna city
court may reside anywhere within Erie County.
Section 3 provides that the act shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Under current law, most city court judges are required to reside in the
city in which they serve, with specific exceptions for certain courts.
This bill extends that flexibility to the part-time judge of the city
court of Lackawanna, allowing such judges to reside anywhere within Erie
County.
This change recognizes the realities of local demographics, judicial
recruitment challenges, and the need to expand the pool of qualified
candidates to better serve the court and the community. The bill simply
aligns the residency requirements for the Lackawanna city court with
those already afforded to judges in other jurisdictions such as Hudson,
Peekskill, and Rensselaer, among others.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.