PMWJ S.B. 756 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS JUDICIAL AFFAIRS S.B. 756 By: Brown (Shields) 5-19-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Currently, the law allows jurors to donate all or part of their compensation to the Texas Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. This sometimes leaves county officials with the task of forwarding less than $1 to the state. Current law also requires that the form shall be provided to each prospective juror by the person responsible for summoning the jury. PURPOSE S.B. 756 requires each prospective juror reporting for jury service to donate all of his or her reimbursement (instead of all or part) to the crime victims compensation fund, if the juror decides to participate in the donation program. This bill also amends current law to ensure that prospective jurors are provided a form letter to participate in the juror reimbursement donation program, but strikes current language setting out the officer in charge of providing the form letters. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1 amends Section 61.003(a), Government Code, to require each prospective juror reporting for jury service to be provided a form letter on donating the juror's reimbursement to the Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. Deletes a provision requiring a person responsible under Section 62.013 or 62.014, Government Code, for summoning prospective jurors to provide a form letter on donating the juror's reimbursement to the Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. Requires that a potential juror must donate all of the juror's reimbursement to the fund, eliminating the choice to donate a portion of the reimbursement. SECTION 2. Effective date. Application of act. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.