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
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