§ 8600. Intent and short title. It is the intent of this article, which may hereafter be known and cited as the "New York State Equal Access to Justice Act", to create a mechanism authorizing the recovery of counsel fees and other reasonable expenses in certain actions against the state of New York, similar to the provisions of federal law contained in 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d) and the significant body of case law that has evolved thereunder.