MJC reports proposal for statewide juror paid time off advances in BJA process

Staff reported that the Minority and Justice Commission submitted a Board of Judicial Administration (BJA) request to pursue legislation or administrative action to establish paid time off for jurors statewide.

"The proposal aims to establish statewide paid time off for jury service for every juror in Washington," staff said, noting the effort builds on the commission's earlier jury-diversity work. The staff update said the proposal passed the BJA's initial phase of review and is entering a development stage that will include stakeholdering and researching impacts on businesses.

Molly Bach told commissioners that while support for the underlying policy is strong, the full proposal will need fiscal analysis and careful stakeholder outreach because the cost of paid leave would likely fall on employers. The staff memo referenced the Pierce County demographic survey and ongoing work by WISQR researcher Dr. Patty Cherco to underpin policy recommendations.

The commission will be asked to provide input as the BJA develops the proposal; a full submission is due to the BJA at the end of July, with further BJA consideration scheduled for July 24.

There was no vote or formal adoption of legislative language at the meeting; the update was informational and included an invitation for commissioners to help with proposal development and stakeholder outreach.