Bill Text: NY A02346 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Assembly Bill 2346

Introduced

Bill Title: Increases the amount of allowance that trial and grand jurors are entitled to in each court of the unified court system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to ways and means [A02346 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02346-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2346

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 25, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN, MITAYNES, KELLES, BURDICK,
          SIMON, GALLAGHER, SAYEGH, SEAWRIGHT, GIBBS, DARLING, FORREST  --  read
          once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary

        AN  ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to increasing the amount
          of allowance that trial and grand jurors are entitled to in each court
          of the unified court system

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Subdivision  (a)  of section 521 of the judiciary law, as
     2  amended by chapter 302 of the laws  of  2002,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    (a)  Except  as provided in subdivision (b) of this section, trial and
     5  grand jurors in each court of the unified court system shall be entitled
     6  to an allowance equal to the sum of [forty] seventy-two dollars per  day
     7  for  each  and  every  day  of  physical  attendance  wherein  the court
     8  convenes, except that no person who is employed  shall  be  entitled  to
     9  receive  such allowance if, pursuant to section five hundred nineteen of
    10  this article, his or her employer is  prohibited  from  withholding  the
    11  first  [forty]  seventy-two  dollars of wages of such person during such
    12  period and such person's daily wages equal or exceed [forty] seventy-two
    13  dollars. If such person's daily wages are less than [forty]  seventy-two
    14  dollars,  he  or she shall be entitled to receive an allowance hereunder
    15  equal to the difference between  [forty]  seventy-two  dollars  and  the
    16  amount  of his or her daily wages. Such fees and those expenses actually
    17  and necessarily incurred in providing food and lodging for jurors  shall
    18  be  a  state  charge  payable out of funds appropriated to the office of
    19  court administration for that purpose.
    20    § 2. Section 519 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 85  of  the
    21  laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
    22    §  519. Right of juror to be absent from employment. Any person who is
    23  summoned to serve as a juror under the provisions of  this  article  and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01541-01-3

        A. 2346                             2

     1  who  notifies  his or her employer to that effect prior to the commence-
     2  ment of a term of service shall not, on account of absence from  employ-
     3  ment by reason of such jury service, be subject to discharge or penalty.
     4  An employer may, however, withhold wages of any such employee serving as
     5  a juror during the period of such service; provided that an employer who
     6  employs  more  than  ten  employees shall not withhold the first [forty]
     7  seventy-two dollars of such juror's daily wages during the  first  three
     8  days  of  jury  service.  Withholding  of  wages in accordance with this
     9  section shall not be deemed a penalty. Violation of this  section  shall
    10  constitute  a  criminal contempt of court punishable pursuant to section
    11  seven hundred fifty of this chapter.
    12    § 3. This act shall take effect December 31, 2023.