STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7525 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE June 2, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- (at request of the Office of Court Administration) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the compensation of persons who serve as jurors The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 519 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 85 of 2 the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 519. Right of juror to be absent from employment. Any person who is 4 summoned to serve as a juror under the provisions of this article and 5 who notifies [his or her] such person's employer to that effect prior to 6 the commencement of a term of service shall not, on account of absence 7 from employment by reason of such jury service, be subject to discharge 8 or penalty. An employer may, however, withhold wages of any such employ- 9 ee serving as a juror during the period of such service; provided that 10 an employer who employs more than ten employees shall not withhold the 11 first [forty] fifty dollars of such juror's daily wages during the first 12 three days of jury service. Withholding of wages in accordance with this 13 section shall not be deemed a penalty. Violation of this section shall 14 constitute a criminal contempt of court punishable pursuant to section 15 seven hundred fifty of this chapter. 16 § 2. Subdivision (a) of section 521 of the judiciary law, as amended 17 by chapter 302 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows: 18 (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this section, trial and 19 grand jurors in each court of the unified court system shall be entitled 20 to an allowance equal to the sum of [forty] fifty dollars per day for 21 each and every day of physical attendance wherein the court convenes, 22 except that no person who is employed shall be entitled to receive such 23 allowance if, pursuant to section five hundred nineteen of this article, 24 [his or her] such person's employer is prohibited from withholding the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03458-01-3
S. 7525 2 1 first [forty] fifty dollars of wages of such person during such period 2 and such person's daily wages equal or exceed [forty] fifty dollars. If 3 such person's daily wages are less than [forty] fifty dollars, [he or 4 she] such person shall be entitled to receive an allowance hereunder 5 equal to the difference between [forty] fifty dollars and the amount of 6 [his or her] such person's daily wages. Such fees and those expenses 7 actually and necessarily incurred in providing food and lodging for 8 jurors shall be a state charge payable out of funds appropriated to the 9 office of court administration for that purpose. 10 § 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2024.