Bill increasing jury duty pay passes Indiana House, heads to Senate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jury duty could soon come with extra pay for Hoosiers.

The Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 1466 on Tuesday, which would double jury duty pay from $40 a day to $80 a day for the first five days of a trial. Starting with the sixth day of a trial, the amount would increase again to $90 per day.

State Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, sponsored the bill and said the state has struggled to find people to serve on juries and hopes the increase in pay will help.

"Our current compensation is far below the current $7.25 minimum wage, which is not sustainable for most Hoosiers," Davis said in a statement to Fox59 News. "This is an important step toward ensuring jurors are better compensated and boost citizen participation."

Additionally, the bill would increase the jury appearance fee from $15 to $30 for each day a potential juror is in attendance until the jury is selected. It would also charge a $75 fee for those filing civil tort and plenary action lawsuits because those cases require a jury. Fee money collected would go toward paying jurors.

Jury pay in Indiana hasn't increased in more than two decades.

The bill now heads to the Senate.