relative to compensation for jurors.

HB 1592-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION
26-2925
09/08

HOUSE BILL
1592-FN

AN ACT
relative to compensation for jurors.

SPONSORS: Rep. Oppel, Graf. 9

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

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ANALYSIS

This bill changes the compensation of jurors to match the federal rate.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in
bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [
in brackets and struckthrough.
]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2925
09/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
relative to compensation for jurors.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Jurors; Compensation for Jurors. Amend RSA 500-A:15 to read as follows:
500-A:15 Compensation of Jurors.
[
I.
] Grand and petit jurors' fees and mileage shall be paid by the state. The jurors' fees shall be [
$10 for each half day's
]
the federal rate as established by 28 U.S.C. section 1871 for each day's
attendance before a superior court; for each mile's travel to and from the place where the juror serves, mileage shall be paid at the rate of $.20 per mile, mileage to be allowed for each day's attendance when the juror is required to leave the town or city in which he resides.
[
II. For the purposes of this section "attendance for a half day" means attendance either at the forenoon session or at the afternoon session.

III. The clerk of the court attended shall determine whether a juror has attended for a half day. Said clerk may count travel time to reach the place where the juror serves in determining attendance of the juror, if the juror is required to travel more than 50 miles one way by the most direct route to reach the court.
]

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.

LBA
26-2925
12/2/25

HB 1592-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT
relative to compensation for jurors.

FISCAL IMPACT:

This bill does not provide funding.

Estimated State Impact

FY 2026
FY 2027
FY 2028
FY 2029

Revenue
$0
$0
$0
$0

Revenue Fund(s)
None

Expenditures*
$0
Indeterminable Increase $371,000+
Indeterminable Increase $740,000+
Indeterminable Increase $740,000+

Funding Source(s)
General Fund

Appropriations*
$0
$0
$0
$0

Funding Source(s)
None

*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill

METHODOLOGY:
This bill increases juror compensation to the federal daily juror rate under 28 U.S.C. 1871 (currently $50 per day) and removes the distinction between half-day and full-day payments.
The Judicial Branch states
this bill will result in an indeterminable increase in state General Fund expenditures, estimated at more than $370,567 in FY 2027 and more than $740,000 in FY 2028 and FY 2029. Under current law, jurors are paid $10 for a half day and $20 for a full day. In Calendar Year 2024, the Branch paid 12,304 jurors for 24,704.5 juror-days, totaling $494,090 at the current rate of $20 for a full day. At the required federal rate of $50 per day, these payments would have been $1,235,225, an annual increase of $741,135.
Because the bill takes effect mid-year, FY 2027 reflects approximately half of a year’s impact (more than $370,567), with full costs (more than $740,000) beginning in FY 2028. The Branch notes that federal juror compensation may increase in the future, which would automatically increase state costs.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Judicial Branch