CA Lawmakers Consider Boosting Jury Duty Pay

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sacramento, CA — Lawmakers at the state capitol are debating whether to increase the amount of money that many residents would receive for taking part in jury duty.

The current pay, $15 per day, has remained the same for over 20 years. A bill by Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting calls for boosting it to $100 for anyone whose income is below 80% of the median amount of the area.

It would start as a pilot program in just a handful of selected counties, outside the Mother Lode, but could then be expanded to the rest of the state in future years. The pilot program was approved by the full California Assembly and now moves to the Senate.

In addition to the requirement of being below the 80% median income, the $100 payment would not apply to jurors whose companies already compensate for jury duty, or people who are unemployed or self-employed. The goal of the bill is to better offset the financial impacts of having to miss work for jury duty.