1-1  By:  Jones of Dallas (Senate Sponsor - Henderson)      H.B. No. 654
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House April 10, 1995;
    1-3  April 11, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on State
    1-4  Affairs; May 8, 1995, rereferred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
    1-5  May 9, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
    1-6  Nays 0; May 9, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-7                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-8                                AN ACT
    1-9  relating to permitting a sequestered juror to vote on election day.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding
   1-12  Section 276.009 to read as follows:
   1-13        Sec. 276.009.  VOTING BY SEQUESTERED JUROR.  (a)  The judge
   1-14  of a court that has issued an order that a jury not be allowed to
   1-15  separate shall permit a juror reasonable time to vote on election
   1-16  day.
   1-17        (b)  The court may provide the juror with a means of
   1-18  transportation to and from the appropriate polling place.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-20        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-21  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-22  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-23  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-24  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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