HB 1656-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2012 SESSION
09/03
HOUSE BILL 1656-FN
AN ACT relative to compensation of jurors.
SPONSORS: Rep. Kingsbury, Belk 4
This bill increases the amount jurors are compensated for service, travel expenses, and mileage.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
12-2243
09/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve
AN ACT relative to compensation of jurors.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Compensation of Jurors. Amend RSA 500-A:15 to read as follows:
500-A:15 Compensation of Jurors.
I. Grand and petit jurors’ fees and mileage shall be paid by the state. The jurors’ fees shall be [$10] $80 for each half day’s attendance before a superior court[; for each mile’s travel to and from the place where the juror serves, mileage shall be paid at the rate of $.20 per mile, mileage to be allowed for each day’s attendance when the juror is required to leave the town or city in which he resides]. A juror shall be allowed compensation for actual travel expenses of the round trip to and from the juror’s home to the court where the juror serves. Mileage shall be paid at the maximum rate established in the United States Internal Revenue Code and Regulations for the number of miles traveled.
II. For the purposes of this section ‘‘attendance for a half day’’ means attendance either at the [forenoon] morning session or at the afternoon session.
III. The clerk of the court attended shall determine whether a juror has attended for a half day. Said clerk [may] shall count travel time to reach the place where the juror serves in determining attendance of the juror[, if the juror is required to travel more than 50 miles one way by the most direct route to reach the court].
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
LBAO
12-2243
12/23/11
HB 1656-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to compensation of jurors.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Judicial Branch states this bill will increase state general fund expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2013 and each year thereafter. There is no fiscal impact on county and local expenditures, or state, county and local revenue.
METHODOLOGY:
The Judicial Branch states this bill increases pay for jury trials, increases mileage reimbursement, and requires that travel time be included when determining whether juror is to be paid for a half day or full day. The Branch states this bill increases the pay for each half day of jury service from $10 to $80, and increases the mileage paid to jurors from $0.20 per mile to the maximum IRS rate, currently at $0.555 per mile. The Branch states this would increase a half day of jury trial by $70 and a full day by $140, and increase the mileage reimbursement by $0.355 per mile. In addition, the requirement to include travel time when considering juror compensation may result in approximately 80 percent of the half day jury trials in more rural counties becoming a full day session. In the more populous counties, it is estimated that 50 percent of the half day jury trials may become a full day session. The Branch states FY 2008 was the last year the Branch was fully funded for jury trials. In FY 2008 there were 40,457 full day trials and 61,148 half day trials, with a total of 1,092,119 travel miles reimbursed. In FY 2011 there were 11,730 full day trials and 19,278 half day trials, with a total of 382,290.5 travel miles reimbursed. To provide an estimate of the potential fiscal impact, the Branch used FY 2008 data to calculate the largest impact, assuming 80 percent of the half day jury trials would become full day jury trials and FY 2011 data to calculate the lowest impact, assuming 50 percent of the half day jury trials would become full day jury trials. Based on this data, the Branch estimates state general fund expenditures may increase between $3,898,493 and $14,245,514.