Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jury Service topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public defenders, trial lawyers urge higher juror pay as committee weighs HB 6,968
Summary
Witnesses at the March 3 Judiciary Committee hearing backed House Bill 6,968 to increase juror compensation beyond current statutory rates after the fifth day of service. Proponents said higher pay would diversify jury pools and reduce hardship; fiscal cost was the primary concern noted by committee members.
Deborah Del Prete Sullivan, legal counsel to the Office of Chief Public Defender, told the Judiciary Committee HB 6,968 — which would raise juror pay after day five to at least the state minimum wage — aims to make jury service accessible to people who cannot afford unpaid time away from work. Sullivan said the proposal came from the jury selection task force convened by the state Supreme Court in February 2019 and noted that statutory juror pay rules date to a 1951 framework that no longer reflects modern wage levels.
Trial attorneys and local officials echoed the point. Brian Flood, secretary of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, said he had picked roughly 200 juries in his career and repeatedly encountered qualified prospective jurors who could not serve because $50 a day is insufficient and because of childcare and transportation costs.
Proponents framed the bill as a civic‑participation and fairness measure intended to improve jury representativeness rather than as a subsidy. Deborah Sullivan and others told the committee that low juror pay disproportionately excludes working‑class and hourly workers from jury pools, skewing the composition of juries in criminal and civil matters.
Committee members generally expressed support for the policy goal but flagged the bill’s fiscal note and urged proponents to coordinate with the Appropriations Committee on funding. No formal vote was taken.
