PRINTER'S NO. 1331
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1127
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, D. COSTA, READSHAW, KULIK, W. KELLER,
BULLOCK AND KINSEY, APRIL 10, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 10, 2017
AN ACT
Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in juries and jurors,
further providing for compensation of and travel allowance
for jurors.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 4561 of Title 42 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
§ 4561. Compensation of and travel allowance for jurors.
(a) Compensation.--[A person summoned to serve as a juror
shall receive compensation at the rate of $9 a day for the first
three days in any calendar year he shall be required to report
for service and $25 a day for each day thereafter in such
calendar year that such person is required to report. In
addition, persons so summoned shall be paid a travel allowance
at the rate of 17¢ per mile circular except that no travel
allowance shall be paid in the first judicial district.]
Employers shall pay a person summoned to serve as a juror at the
person's ordinary wage or salary each day the person is required
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to report for service. The Commonwealth shall grant a tax credit
to the employer for the amount expended in the same calendar
year.
(a.1) Unemployed persons.--Unemployed persons shall be
compensated using the appropriate rate of unemployment
compensation.
(a.2) Self-employed persons.--The Commonwealth shall grant a
self-employed person or a person whose sole means of income is
commission a tax credit equal to the juror's monthly income in
the previous year.
(a.3) Parking.--A person summoned to serve as a juror shall
be given a parking voucher for a nearby parking facility.
(b) State reimbursement.--[The Commonwealth shall reimburse
each county 80% of the amount expended by the county for such
compensation and travel allowance beyond the first three days of
service if the juror is participating in a trial or in grand
jury proceedings.] Persons summoned to serve as jurors shall be
paid a travel allowance at the rate provided by current Internal
Revenue Service regulations, except that no travel allowance
shall be paid in the first judicial district. Application for
reimbursement shall be made by the county to the State Treasurer
through the Administrative Office pursuant to procedures
prescribed by said office. As used in this section, trial
participation shall include voir dire examination only if such
examination shall have commenced prior to the juror's fourth day
of service.
(c) Definition.--As used in this section, the term "jurors"
does not apply to those persons summoned to serve on a
multicounty investigating grand jury who are reimbursed under
section 4553(b) (relating to expenses of investigating grand
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juries and trials resulting therefrom).
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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