1-1 By: Place, Greenberg (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos) H.B. No. 253 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 29, 1993; 1-3 April 30, 1993, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Jurisprudence; May 11, 1993, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 1993, sent to printer.) 1-6 COMMITTEE VOTE 1-7 Yea Nay PNV Absent 1-8 Henderson x 1-9 Harris of Tarrant x 1-10 Brown x 1-11 Harris of Dallas x 1-12 Luna x 1-13 Parker x 1-14 West x 1-15 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-16 AN ACT 1-17 relating to providing a uniform jury handbook to jurors in a civil 1-18 or criminal case. 1-19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-20 SECTION 1. Chapter 23, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-21 Subchapter C to read as follows: 1-22 SUBCHAPTER C. UNIFORM JURY HANDBOOK 1-23 Sec. 23.201. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "state bar" 1-24 means the State Bar of Texas. 1-25 Sec. 23.202. UNIFORM JURY HANDBOOK; CONTENTS. (a) The 1-26 state bar shall publish a uniform jury handbook that: 1-27 (1) informs jurors in lay terminology of the duties 1-28 and responsibilities of a juror; 1-29 (2) explains basic trial procedures and legal 1-30 terminology; and 1-31 (3) provides other practical information relating to 1-32 jury service. 1-33 (b) The state bar shall review and update the uniform jury 1-34 handbook annually. A Spanish language version of the handbook 1-35 shall be published and made available. 1-36 Sec. 23.203. DISTRIBUTION OF HANDBOOK. (a) The state bar 1-37 shall distribute copies of the uniform jury handbook to each trial 1-38 court of this state in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements 1-39 of this subchapter. 1-40 (b) The clerk of a trial court shall provide each juror in a 1-41 civil or criminal case with a copy of the uniform jury handbook. 1-42 The juror shall read the handbook before the juror begins jury 1-43 service. 1-44 (c) The handbook is a public document. The state bar or a 1-45 trial court may distribute the handbook to promote the public's 1-46 understanding of jury service. 1-47 Sec. 23.204. CONFLICT WITH INSTRUCTION OR CHARGE. If a 1-48 provision of the uniform jury handbook is in conflict with an 1-49 instruction or charge of a trial judge in a case, the instruction 1-50 or charge supersedes the provision of the handbook. 1-51 SECTION 2. The State Bar of Texas shall publish and 1-52 distribute the uniform jury handbook as required by this Act not 1-53 later than January 1, 1994. 1-54 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, except 1-55 that Section 1 takes effect January 1, 1994. 1-56 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-57 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-58 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-59 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-60 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-61 * * * * * 1-62 Austin, 1-63 Texas 1-64 May 11, 1993 1-65 Hon. Bob Bullock 1-66 President of the Senate 1-67 Sir: 1-68 We, your Committee on Jurisprudence to which was referred H.B. 2-1 No. 253, have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed 2-2 to report it back to the Senate with the recommendation that it do 2-3 pass and be printed. 2-4 Henderson, 2-5 Chairman 2-6 * * * * * 2-7 WITNESSES 2-8 FOR AGAINST ON 2-9 ___________________________________________________________________ 2-10 Name: Rhonda Cates x 2-11 Representing: Tx Council on Family Violence 2-12 City: Austin 2-13 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-14 Name: Karen R. Johnson x 2-15 Representing: State Bar of Texas 2-16 City: Austin 2-17 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-18 Name: Shannon Noble x 2-19 Representing: Tx Women's Pol. Caucus 2-20 City: Austin 2-21 -------------------------------------------------------------------