By Seidlits                                           H.B. No. 1787
       74R7116 RJA-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to six-person juries in district court civil cases.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 62.201, Government Code, is amended to
    1-5  read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 62.201.  NUMBER OF JURORS.  The jury in a civil case in
    1-7  a district court is composed of six <12> persons<, except that the
    1-8  parties may agree to try a particular case with fewer than 12
    1-9  jurors>.
   1-10        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1996, if the
   1-11  constitutional amendment proposed by the 74th Legislature, Regular
   1-12  Session, 1995, providing for six-person juries in district court
   1-13  civil cases is approved by the voters.  If that amendment is not
   1-14  approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.
   1-15        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-16  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-17  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-18  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-19  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.