Senate Bill S4998A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4998--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary -- reported
   favorably from said  committee  and  committed  to  the  Committee  on
   Finance  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee

 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] THEIR 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] SEVEN-
 TY-TWO dollars. If such person's  daily  wages  are  less  than  [forty]
 SEVENTY-TWO  dollars,  [he  or  she]  SUCH  PERSON  shall be entitled to
 receive an allowance hereunder equal to the difference  between  [forty]
 SEVENTY-TWO  dollars  and  the amount of [his or her] THEIR 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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07267-03-5
 S. 4998--A                          2
              

 
   § 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] THEIR employer to that effect prior to the
 commencement of a term of service shall not, on account of absence  from
 employment  by  reason  of such jury service, be subject to discharge or
 penalty. An employer may, however, withhold wages of any  such  employee
 serving  as  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 pursu-
 ant to section seven hundred fifty of this chapter.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.