House Bill No. 436

Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________



A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act providing for paid jury duty leave for schoolteachers; and amending section

2-18-619, MCA."



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:



Section 1.  Section 2-18-619, MCA, is amended to read:

"2-18-619.   Jury duty -- service as witness. (1) Each employee or schoolteacher who is under proper summons as a juror shall collect all fees and allowances payable as a result of the service and forward the fees to the appropriate accounting office. Juror fees shall must be applied against the amount due the employee or schoolteacher from his the employee's or schoolteacher's employer. However, if an employee or schoolteacher elects to charge his the juror time off against his annual leave, he shall the employee or schoolteacher may not be required to remit his juror fees to his the employer. In no instance is an An employee or schoolteacher may not be required to remit to his an employer any expense or mileage allowance paid him by the court.

(2)  An employee or schoolteacher subpoenaed to serve as a witness shall collect all fees and allowances payable as a result of the service and forward the fees to the appropriate accounting office. Witness fees shall must be applied against the amount due the employee or schoolteacher from his an employer. However, if an employee or schoolteacher elects to charge his witness time off against his annual leave, he shall the employee or schoolteacher may not be required to remit his witness fees to his the employer. In no instance is an An employee or schoolteacher may not be required to remit to his the employer any expense or mileage allowances paid him by the court.

(3)  Employers may request the court to excuse their employees or schoolteachers from jury duty if they are needed for the proper operation of a unit of state or local government."

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