Bill Text: NY A02671 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Sets the amount of the allowance that trial and grand jurors are entitled to at the applicable minimum wage based on the court's location.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-21 - referred to judiciary [A02671 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A02671-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2671

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 21, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  CUNNINGHAM  -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Judiciary

        AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to setting the amount  of
          the allowance that trial and grand jurors are entitled to at the mini-
          mum wage

          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 dollars per day] applicable
     7  minimum wage under section six hundred fifty-two of the labor law  based
     8  on  the  court's  location for each and every day of physical attendance
     9  wherein the court convenes, except that no person who is employed  shall
    10  be  entitled  to  receive  such  allowance  if, pursuant to section five
    11  hundred nineteen of this article, [his or her] such person's employer is
    12  prohibited from withholding the [first forty dollars of] wages  of  such
    13  person  during such period and such person's daily wages equal or exceed
    14  [forty dollars] such allowance. [If such person's daily wages  are  less
    15  than  forty dollars, he or she shall be entitled to receive an allowance
    16  hereunder equal to the difference between forty dollars and  the  amount
    17  of  his  or  her daily wages.] Such fees and those expenses actually and
    18  necessarily incurred in providing food and lodging for jurors shall be a
    19  state charge payable out of funds appropriated to the  office  of  court
    20  administration for that 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.
                                                                   LBD05633-01-5
        A. 2671                             2

     1  who notifies [his or her] such person's employer to that effect prior to
     2  the commencement of a term of service shall not, on account  of  absence
     3  from  employment by reason of such jury service, be subject to discharge
     4  or penalty. An employer may, however, withhold wages of any such employ-
     5  ee  serving  as a juror during the period of such service; provided that
     6  an employer who employs more than ten employees shall not  withhold  the
     7  [first forty 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 on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
    13  have become a law.