By Kamel                                              H.B. No. 2951
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to electronic selection and summoning of a "special
    1-3  venire" jury panel in a capital case.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Article 34.01, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
    1-6  amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Article 34.01.  Special Venire.  A "special venire" is a writ
    1-8  issued in a capital case by order of the district court, commanding
    1-9  the sheriff to summon either verbally or by mail such a number of
   1-10  persons, not less than 50, as the court may order, or as authorized
   1-11  by a plan for electronic jury selection by Section 62.011,
   1-12  Government Code, to appear before the court on a day named in the
   1-13  writ from whom the jury for the trial of such case is to be
   1-14  selected.  Where as many as one hundred jurors have been selected
   1-15  in such county for regular service for the week in which such
   1-16  capital case is set for trial, the judge of the court having
   1-17  jurisdiction of a capital case in which a motion for a special
   1-18  venire has been made, shall grant or refuse such motion for a
   1-19  special venire, and upon such refusal require the case to be tried
   1-20  by regular jurors summoned for service in such county for the week
   1-21  in which such capital case is set for trial and such additional
   1-22  talesman as may be summoned by the sheriff upon order of the court
   1-23  as provided in Article 34.02 of this Code, or as authorized by a
    2-1  plan for electronic jury selection by Section 62.011, Government
    2-2  Code, but the clerk of such court shall furnish the defendant or
    2-3  his counsel a list of the persons summoned as provided in Article
    2-4  34.04.
    2-5        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-6        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-7  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-8  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-9  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-10  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.