Substitute House Bill No. 6968 proposes significant amendments to the laws governing juror compensation and reimbursement for expenses incurred during jury service. The bill mandates that full-time employed jurors receive their regular wages from their employers for the first five days of service, while part-time employed or unemployed jurors will receive a flat fee equivalent to the minimum fair wage for an eight-hour day. Additionally, jurors not classified as full-time for a given day will be reimbursed for necessary out-of-pocket expenses, including family care and travel, with a cap set at the minimum fair wage. For jurors serving beyond five days without employer compensation, the bill stipulates a daily payment equal to the current minimum wage for an eight-hour workday, along with reimbursement for family care and travel expenses as per guidelines from the Jury Administrator.

The bill also introduces changes to reimbursement rates, increasing the maximum daily reimbursement from $50 to the minimum wage for an eight-hour day and raising the travel reimbursement rate from 20 cents per mile to the federal rate of 70 cents per mile for 2025. These adjustments apply to all jurors starting from day six of service, and the bill clarifies that no additional reimbursements will be provided beyond these expenses and the daily flat fee. The effective date for these changes is set for October 1, 2025. Overall, the bill is expected to incur significant costs, estimated between $1.93 million to $3.76 million in FY 26 and $2.58 million to $5.01 million in FY 27, due to the proposed changes in compensation and reimbursement rates.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 51-247
JUD Joint Favorable Substitute: 51-247
File No. 729: 51-247