NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7525

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to judiciary returned to senate died in assembly
Jun 05, 2023	referred to judiciary delivered to assembly passed senate ordered to third reading cal.1613
Jun 02, 2023	referred to rules

Votes

- Jun 5, 2023 - Floor Vote
  S7525
  
  60
  
  Aye
  
  1
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  2
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 5, 2023
      
      aye (60)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Ashby
      
      Bailey
      
      Borrello
      
      Breslin
      
      Brisport
      
      Brouk
      
      Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick
      
      Chu
      
      Cleare
      
      Comrie
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Gonzalez
      
      Gounardes
      
      Griffo
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      Hinchey
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mannion
      
      Martinez
      
      Martins
      
      Mattera
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Murray
      
      Myrie
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Palumbo
      
      Parker
      
      Persaud
      
      Ramos
      
      Rhoads
      
      Rivera
      
      Rolison
      
      Ryan
      
      Salazar
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Scarcella-Spanton
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Serrano
      
      Skoufis
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Tedisco
      
      Thomas
      
      Walczyk
      
      Webb
      
      Weber
      
      Weik
      
      nay (1)
      
      Oberacker
      
      excused (2)
      
      Cooney
      
      Felder
  Jun 5, 2023 - Rules Committee Vote
  S7525
  
  18
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  3
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: Jun 5, 2023
      
      aye (18)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Bailey
      
      Breslin
      
      Comrie
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Griffo
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mayer
      
      O'Mara
      
      Parker
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      aye wr (3)
      
      Helming
      
      Ortt
      
      Thomas

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Judiciary
Law Section:: Judiciary Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§519 & 521, Judy L

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to increasing the compensation of persons who serve as jurors to fifty dollars per day.

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7525

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the compensation of
persons who serve as jurors

This measure is being introduced at the request of the Judiciary.

This measure would amend sections 519 and 521(a) of the Judiciary Law to
increase the per diem paid persons who serve as trial and grand jurors
in the courts of the Unified Court System. At present, jurors in these
courts, which include both the State-paid courts and the Town and
Village Justice Courts, receive $40 for each day of jury service. Under
this measure, that amount would be increased to $50 for each day of jury
service.

The jury per diem has not been changed since 1998 - a quarter of a
century ago. In that year, at the request of the Judiciary, the per diem
was increased to $40 from $27.50(1).

Enactment of this measure is necessary at this time. It is important to
the health of our jury system that the many citizens who are needed to

serve that system be fairly compensated for that service.  As a conse-
quence of inflation, forty dollars in 1998 is worth almost $70 in 2023.
Considering the sacrifices that persons serving on juries are routinely
asked to make, and the value of their service to the community, it is
good public policy for the State to see to it that juror compensation is
periodically adjusted. Especially for the many people who work in mini-
mum wage jobs, a greater juror per diem will make it easier for them to
bear the economic loss that jury service can occasion.(2)

In increasing its juror per diem rate to $50, New York will join six
other states that already pay their jurors at that level3, which is the
highest juror per diem rate among the 50 states.

The cost of this measure, which would be paid out of the Judiciary's
annual Budget, would be $4.4 million. There would be no fiscal impact
upon local government as juror compensation in the courts, including in
the Town and Village Justice Courts, is entirely a State obligation.

This measure would take effect on April 1, 2024. Hence, it would have no
fiscal impact during the 2023-24 State Fiscal Year.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY 2021-22:

OCA-67

(1) See L. 1995, c. 85. Chapter 85 increased the per diem, which had
been fixed at a uniform $15 in 1988, to $40 in two stages. It grew to
$27.50 on February 15, 1997; and then to $40 on February 15, 1998.

(2) With limited exception, section 519 of the Judiciary Law permits an
employer to withhold the wages of his or her employee while the latter
serves on a jury

(3) Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, and South
Dakota.

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7525
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 2, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- (at request of the Office of Court
   Administration) -- 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  the  compensation  of
   persons who serve as jurors

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. 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] SUCH PERSON'S 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 employ-
 ee 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] FIFTY 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.
   § 2. 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] FIFTY 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] SUCH PERSON'S employer is prohibited from withholding the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03458-01-3

 S. 7525                             2
 
 first [forty] FIFTY dollars of wages of such person during  such  period
 and  such person's daily wages equal or exceed [forty] FIFTY dollars. If
 such person's daily wages are less than [forty] FIFTY  dollars,  [he  or
 she]  SUCH  PERSON  shall  be entitled to receive an allowance hereunder
 equal to the difference between [forty] FIFTY dollars and the amount  of
 [his  or  her]  SUCH  PERSON'S 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.
   § 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2024.

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Senate Bill S7525

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

Jun 5, 2023 - Floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jun 5, 2023

Jun 5, 2023 - Rules Committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jun 5, 2023

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7525

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Sponsored By

Brad Hoylman-Sigal

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S7525 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments