By Rodriguez H.B. No. 2695
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the exemption from jury service for certain volunteer
1-3 fire fighters.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 62.106, Government code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 62.106. Exemption From Jury Service. (a) A person
1-8 qualified to serve as a petit juror may establish an exemption from
1-9 jury service if he:
1-10 (1) is over 65 years of age;
1-11 (2) has legal custody of a child or children younger
1-12 than 10 years of age and his service on the jury requires leaving
1-13 the child or children without adequate supervision;
1-14 (3) is a student of a public or private secondary
1-15 school;
1-16 (4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at
1-17 an institution of higher education;
1-18 (5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the
1-19 house of representatives, or any department, commission, board,
1-20 office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state
1-21 government;
1-22 (6) is summoned for service in a county with a
1-23 population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan
2-1 under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section
2-2 62.011(b)(6) exceeds two years, and he has served as a petit juror
2-3 in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date he is
2-4 to appear for jury service; <or>
2-5 (7) is the primary caretaker of a person who is an
2-6 invalid unable to care for himself; or
2-7 (8) is a certified volunteer fire fighter and an
2-8 active member of an organized volunteer fire department.
2-9 (b) In this section:
2-10 (1) "Organized volunteer fire department" means a fire
2-11 fighting unit that:
2-12 (A) consists of 20 or more active members;
2-13 (B) renders fire fighting services without
2-14 remuneration;
2-15 (C) is recognized by the State Firemen's and
2-16 Fire Marshals' Association of Texas or the Texas Commission on Fire
2-17 Protection; and
2-18 (D) each month holds two or more drills, each of
2-19 which is two or more hours long and is attended by a majority of
2-20 the active members of the unit.
2-21 (2) "Certified volunteer fire fighter" means a person
2-22 who holds at a minimum basic fire fighter certification issued by
2-23 the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas or the
2-24 Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
2-25 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
3-1 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-2 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-3 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-4 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-5 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-6 passage, and it is so enacted.