Bill > A471

Introduced Session

This bill amends section 19 of P.L.1993, c.275 (C.22A:1-1.1) to establish a $40 daily pay rate for grand and petit jurors, as well as establish additional juror benefits and reimbursements. Currently, jurors receive $5 for each day's attendance. In addition, each person serving as a juror, other than certain full-time government employees, is paid $35 for each consecutive day of attendance in excess of three days. This bill requires payment of $40 per day beginning on the first day of service. Further, if in-person jury service is required of jurors, the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts ("AOC") is required to provide jurors with travel reimbursement to and from each juror's home to the courthouse or between the nearest public transportation station and the courthouse. Each juror seeking reimbursement is to provide proof of mileage or fare, as well as the method of transportation he or she used to travel to and from their home to the courthouse or between the nearest public transportation station to the courthouse. If in-person juror service is required, the AOC also is required to reimburse each juror for any road tolls the juror incurs for traveling to and from the courthouse for the duration of his or her jury service. Each juror requesting reimbursement is required to provide proof of tolls paid. This bill further requires employers, with 10 or more employees, to pay up to five days of compensation for employees who are selected for jury duty. The bill precludes these employers from applying an employee's paid-time-off benefits during this time. These employers may request proof of jury duty served and may require each juror who is seeking these benefits to apply the jury duty paycheck that the juror received to the compensation amount owed the employee under this provision. Under this bill, the work compensation applicable throughout the duration of jury duty service for private employees in New Jersey who work on a shift schedule, is to be the same as that set forth within New Jersey Administrative Code 4A: 6-1.19. This provision also applies to employers who have contracts with the State of New Jersey. This bill also makes an appropriation of $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the AOC to pay for the juror pay increase and the other benefits set forth within this bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Joe Danielsen (D)*,  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document