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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, V. BROWN, BROWNLEE, CALTAGIRONE, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, GEIST, JOSEPHS, KIRKLAND, MANN, DEASY, GIBBONS, McGEEHAN, MURT, M. O'BRIEN, PRESTON, READSHAW, SAINATO AND YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 27, 2012 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 27, 2012 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the |
2 | Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in juries and jurors, |
3 | further providing for compensation of and travel allowance |
4 | for jurors. |
5 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
6 | hereby enacts as follows: |
7 | Section 1. Section 4561 of Title 42 of the Pennsylvania |
8 | Consolidated Statutes is amended to read: |
9 | § 4561. Compensation of and travel allowance for jurors. |
10 | (a) Compensation.--[A person summoned to serve as a juror |
11 | shall receive compensation at the rate of $9 a day for the first |
12 | three days in any calendar year he shall be required to report |
13 | for service and $25 a day for each day thereafter in such |
14 | calendar year that such person is required to report. In |
15 | addition, persons so summoned shall be paid a travel allowance |
16 | at the rate of 17ยข per mile circular except that no travel |
17 | allowance shall be paid in the first judicial district.] |
18 | Employers shall pay a person summoned to serve as a juror at the |
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1 | person's ordinary wage or salary each day the person is required |
2 | to report for service. The Commonwealth shall grant a tax credit |
3 | to the employer for the amount expended in the same calendar |
4 | year. |
5 | (a.1) Unemployed persons.--Unemployed persons shall be |
6 | compensated using the appropriate rate of unemployment |
7 | compensation. |
8 | (a.2) Self-employed persons.--The Commonwealth shall grant a |
9 | self-employed person or a person whose sole means of income is |
10 | commission a tax credit equal to the juror's monthly income in |
11 | the previous year. |
12 | (a.3) Parking.--A person summoned to serve as a juror shall |
13 | be given a parking voucher for a nearby parking facility. |
14 | (b) State reimbursement.--[The Commonwealth shall reimburse |
15 | each county 80% of the amount expended by the county for such |
16 | compensation and travel allowance beyond the first three days of |
17 | service if the juror is participating in a trial or in grand |
18 | jury proceedings.] Persons summoned to serve as a juror shall be |
19 | paid a travel allowance at the rate provided by current IRS |
20 | regulations, except that no travel allowance shall be paid in |
21 | the first judicial district. Application for reimbursement shall |
22 | be made by the county to the State Treasurer through the |
23 | Administrative Office pursuant to procedures prescribed by said |
24 | office. As used in this section, trial participation shall |
25 | include voir dire examination only if such examination shall |
26 | have commenced prior to the juror's fourth day of service. |
27 | (c) Definition.--As used in this section, the term "jurors" |
28 | does not apply to those persons summoned to serve on a |
29 | multicounty investigating grand jury who are reimbursed under |
30 | section 4553(b) (relating to expenses of investigating grand |
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1 | juries and trials resulting therefrom). |
2 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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