SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6261

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Judiciary, January 28, 2004

Title: An act relating to payments to jurors.

Brief Description: Modifying juror payment provisions.

Sponsors: Senators B. Sheldon, Oke and T. Sheldon.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Judiciary: 1/28/04 [DPS].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6261 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chair; Esser, Vice Chair; Brandland, Hargrove, Haugen, Johnson, Kline and Roach.

Staff: Jinnah Rose-McFadden (786-7421)

Background: In Washington, persons summoned to serve as jurors are eligible to receive daily compensation for their time of service.

Under federal law, federal employees are required to take paid leaves of absence for jury service. Juror compensation received by federal employees must be credited against the employee's pay. However, payments made to reimburse jurors for their out-of-pocket expenses need not be credited against an employee's pay.

As state law is currently written, then, federal employees summoned to jury service in Washington must remit to the federal government compensation received for jury service.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Statutory language is amended to clarify that jurors are eligible to receive expense payments, rather than compensation, for their service. This has the effect of allowing federal employees to retain expense payments for jury service, rather than being required to remit juror compensation to the federal government.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The original bill was not considered.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: Federal entities must remit to the U.S. Treasury any jury compensation received by federal workers. While compensation for jury service ranges from $10-25 per day, the administrative costs involved in completing the necessary paperwork to recoup and remit this compensation totals $65 per person. This bill simply changes the language of the statute relating to juror pay to: (1) allow federal employees to retain their payments, and (2) reduce the administrative costs to federal employers of recouping juror payments.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: PRO: Senator Betti Sheldon.