STATE OF NEW YORK
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7566
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
December 3, 2021
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Introduced by Sen. RAMOS -- 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 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] one hundred twenty dollars
7 per day 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] one hundred twenty dollars of wages of such person during
12 such period and such person's daily wages equal or exceed [forty] one
13 hundred twenty dollars. If such person's daily wages are less than
14 [forty] one hundred twenty dollars, he or she shall be entitled to
15 receive an allowance hereunder equal to the difference between [forty]
16 one hundred twenty dollars and the amount of his or her daily wages.
17 Such fees and those expenses actually and necessarily incurred in
18 providing food and lodging for jurors shall be a state charge payable
19 out of funds appropriated to the office of court administration for that
20 purpose.
21 § 2. Section 519 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 85 of the
22 laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
23 § 519. Right of juror to be absent from employment. Any person who is
24 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.
LBD13397-01-1
S. 7566 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] one
7 hundred twenty dollars of such juror's daily wages during the first
8 three 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 on the sixtieth day after it shall
13 have become a law.
