S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10727
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                            September 16, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Dinowitz) --
   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:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  (a)  of section 521 of the judiciary law, as
 amended by chapter 302 of the laws  of  2002,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   (a)  Except  as provided in subdivision (b) of this section, trial and
 grand jurors in each court of the unified court system shall be entitled
 to an allowance equal to the sum of [forty] SEVENTY-TWO dollars per  day
 for  each  and  every  day  of  physical  attendance  wherein  the court
 convenes, except that no person who is employed  shall  be  entitled  to
 receive  such allowance if, pursuant to section five hundred nineteen of
 this article, his or her employer is  prohibited  from  withholding  the
 first  [forty]  SEVENTY-TWO  dollars of wages of such person during such
 period and such person's daily wages equal or exceed [forty] SEVENTY-TWO
 dollars. If such person's daily wages are less than [forty]  SEVENTY-TWO
 dollars,  he  or she shall be entitled to receive an allowance hereunder
 equal to the difference between  [forty]  SEVENTY-TWO  dollars  and  the
 amount  of his or her daily wages. Such fees and those expenses actually
 and necessarily incurred in providing food and lodging for jurors  shall
 be  a  state  charge  payable out of funds appropriated to the office of
 court administration for that purpose.
   § 2. Section 519 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 85  of  the
 laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
   §  519. Right of juror to be absent from employment. Any person who is
 summoned to serve as a juror under the provisions of  this  article  and
 who  notifies  his or her employer to that effect prior to the commence-
 ment of a term of service shall not, on account of absence from  employ-
 ment by reason of such jury service, be subject to discharge or penalty.
 An employer may, however, withhold wages of any such employee serving as
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02648-03-2
 A. 10727                            2
 
 a juror during the period of such service; provided that an employer who
 employs  more  than  ten  employees shall not withhold the first [forty]
 SEVENTY-TWO dollars of such juror's daily wages during the  first  three
 days  of  jury  service.  Withholding  of  wages in accordance with this
 section shall not be deemed a penalty. Violation of this  section  shall
 constitute  a  criminal contempt of court punishable pursuant to section
 seven hundred fifty of this chapter.
   § 3. This act shall take effect December 31, 2022.