Posted: | January 15, 2021 12:05 PM |
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From: | Representative Jason Dawkins |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Increasing Juror Payments and Updating Juror Payment Options |
The compensation rate for jurors in Pennsylvania is one of the lowest in the country. In New York it is $40, the same as in DC, and in Maryland it is $15. Pennsylvania jurors are not even compensated for the cost of one proper meal during their day of service. Also under the law, a juror’s employer is not required to pay them during their period of jury service. I see many problems with this aspect of the law. First, checks have to be drawn by an administrative officer, which takes time and causes delays in money transfers to jurors. Secondly, in smaller towns where there are no banks, as well as in many cities with a short number of banking services, it makes it extremely inconvenient for the juror to even cash the check. Finally, the checks are costly. The process of issuing a paper check can cost as much as $30. This means that the cost of the payment method is three times higher than the compensation rate to the juror. Therefore, I strongly recommend we amend § 4561 of Title 42, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure as follows:
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Introduced as HB2165