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VIDEO
of Legislature's February 4, 2016 "Public Protection"
Budget Hearing
Unified Court
System..............................................................Chief
Administrative Judge Marks
(video: to 1:41 hours) written
statement
Chief Administrative Judge Marks:
"Now I am not planning on going into the
details of the salary commission’s findings now in my prepared remarks, but
I’ll certainly answer any questions that you may have about that this
morning. But what I would say, however, is that we are extremely pleased
with what the Commission did and I would note that its findings and
determinations were fully supported by the Legislature’s two representatives
on the Commission....
Indeed,
this Commission has finally and essentially resolved what has been a decades
long haphazard, inadequate, and frankly unfair process for setting judicial
salaries.
So we are extremely grateful for the
Commission’s findings and for the support of the Legislature’s
representatives on the Commission and through them, we are extremely
grateful to you for those findings.
...
We firmly believe that what we are seeking is fair and reasonable.
The newly arising cost of the judicial salary increase has resulted
from a statutory process that was designed to inject fairness, objectivity,
and transparency into the method for determining judicial salaries.
That statutory process worked and the salary commission’s
determinations were fully supported by the Legislature’s two representatives
on the Commission.
We respectfully submit that the fair thing to do now is to provide
the funding to implement those results. Without that funding it will be
increasingly difficult to replace employees when they leave the court
system, further decreasing our employment level and resulting in the
consequences that will entail." (video,
beginning at 8:29 mins.)
...
So, in the doomsday scenario, if we don't get additional money...if we had
to absorb the full cost of this judicial salary increase, the $27 million,
we would have to look at attrition, not replacing people when they leave the
court system..."
(video, at 25:15 mins.)
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Bonacic:
"It appears to me that the priorities are to take care of the judicial
salaries,
which we're all supportive of.
We think that the judges are deserving of raises."
(video, at 14:55 mins).
“...to
make sure that the judges get their raises,
which we all think they are
entitled to.”
(video, at 25:15 mins.)
Senator
Nozzolio/Chair-Senate Budget Subcommittee on Public Protection:
“…The judicial pay commission
was a commission established by the Legislature
because we believed there
was a need to have judicial salaries increased
and we look to be a
partner with you and the court system in meeting the obligations established
by the Commission. That’s public policy.
We need to do that…”
(video, at 35:25
mins.)
“Yes, we need to
be partners with you on the salary increases that judges will be
receiving...”
(video, at 37:35 mins.)
“…we believe, strongly, that the issues of
judicial salary increases have to be met,
can’t totally be met within
the traditional court, judicial budget…
So expect you will have advocates to help
in that endeavor...” (video, at 40:12 mins.).
Legislative Law
§32-a:
“After submission and prior to enactment of the
executive budget, the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and
means committee jointly or separately shall conduct public hearings on the
budget. Such hearings may be
conducted regionally to provide individuals and organizations throughout the
state with an opportunity to comment on the budget. The
committees shall make every effort to hear all those who wish to present
statements at such public hearings.
The chairs of the committees jointly or
separately shall publish a schedule of hearings.”
(italics, bold & underlining added)
January 11, 2016 Legislature's Announcement of
Joint Budget Hearing Schedule
Legislature denies CJA Director Elena
Sassower's request to testify
at the Feb. 4, 2016 "public protection"
budget hearing, just as it had in 2015 & 2014 --
the consequence of her
DEVASTATING, EVIDENCE-BASED testimony,
in opposition to the judicial pay
raises & Judiciary budget at the
Legislature's Feb. 6, 2013 "public protection" budget hearing:
where it put her as the last speaker (at 7:21 hrs)
IMPORTANT WITNESSES TESTIFYING...
New York State
Supreme Court Officers Association
Patrick Cullen, President
(at 10:28 hours)
written testimony
New York
State Court Clerk's Association
Pamela Browne, President
(10:37 hours)
written testimony
Court Officers
Benevolent Association of Nassau County Billy
Imandt, President
(10:45 hours)
written testimony
Suffolk County Court
Employees Association
Bill Dobbins, President
(10:58 hours)
written testimony
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Michael P. Friedman
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Commission on Judicial Conduct
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February 16, 2016 video:
"Senator Bonacic Discusses the
Proposed Budget for NYS Court System"
PRESS
February 4, 2016: "Give
Courts the Money They Request, Bar Groups Urge Lawmakers",
New York Law Journal (Andrew Kreshner)
February 4, 2016: "NY
Legislature weighing proposed raises for judges",
AP
(Washington Times)
Syracuse.com
February 5,
2016: "OCA
Urges Lawmakers to Fund Both Raises, Civil Legal Services", New
York Law Journal (Joel Stashenko)
April
24, 2016: "Severe
staffing shortages grind courts to a halt", New
York Post (Dean Balsamini, Kathlenne Bonlello)
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January 21, 2016: "EXCLUSIVE:
Arbitrator gives NYPD Cops 1% salary raise, gets paid $115G for 46 days
needed to reach the decision", NY Daily News (Denis Slattery,
Reuven Blau)
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