The Illinois General Assembly is considering legislation that would require employers to pay employees for time away from work to perform jury duty.

HB 4844 (Hoffman, District 113) specifies that “[e]mployers shall be required to compensate an employee at their regular rate of pay for time serving on jury duty.”

The bill has advanced out of committee and is on the House Floor. It is an initiative of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

“Small businesses should not be required to pick up the tab for the government,” said Illinois State Director Noah Finley. “The justice system is a governmental function and should be funded by the government, not through arbitrary impositions on small employers. This is just another tax on job creators and Main Street businesses.”