BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 346 By: Brown (Thompson) May 4, 1995 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Currently, jurors do not have the option of donating their compensation to the victims of crime fund. PURPOSE This bill provides jurors with an option of having their reimbursement for jury service be donated toward the compensation to victims of crime fund. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Section 3 requires the attorney general to adopt rules to govern the procedures to be followed by the state treasurer or county treasurers in accepting donations from jurors. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1 amends Chapter 61, Government Code, by adding Section 61.003, as follows: Sec. 61.003. DONATION OF REIMBURSEMENT. Subsec. (a) requires a person responsible for summoning jurors for jury service to provide to each prospect an optional form which directs the county treasurer to donate all or part of the prospective juror's reimbursement for jury service to the compensation to victims of crime fund (fund). Subsec. (b) requires the county treasurer to send all donations made under this section to the state treasurer, as prescribed by the attorney general, for deposit to the credit of the fund. SECTION 2. Effective date. Application of act. SECTION 3 requires the attorney general to adopt rules consistent with this Act prescribing procedures to be followed by the county treasurers and the state treasurer in collecting donations from jurors under Section 61.003, Government Code, no later than December 1, 1995. SECTION 4. Emergency clause. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION Pursuant to an announcement made on May 4, 1995, while the House was still in session, the Committee on Judicial Affairs met in a formal meeting on May 4, 1995. The Chair laid out S.B. 346 and explained the bill. Rep. Nixon moved that S.B. 346 be reported favorably back to the full House, without amendment, with the recommendation that it do pass, be printed and sent to the Local & Consent Calendars Committee. The motion prevailed by the following record vote: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 0 PNV and 4 absent.