1-1     By:  Dutton (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)                  H.B. No. 1504

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 22, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; April 29, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 29, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the reimbursement of jurors.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Sections 61.001(a), (b), and (c), Government

1-11     Code, are amended to read as follows:

1-12           (a)  Each grand juror or petit juror in a civil or criminal

1-13     case in a district court, criminal district court, county court,

1-14     county court at law, or justice court is entitled to receive as

1-15     reimbursement for travel and other expenses an amount not less than

1-16     $6 nor more than $50 [$30] for each day or fraction of each day

1-17     served as a juror.

1-18           (b)  A person who responds to the process of a court but is

1-19     excused from petit jury service by the court for any cause after

1-20     his voir dire examination is entitled to receive as reimbursement

1-21     for travel and other expenses an amount not less than $6 nor more

1-22     than $50 [$30] for each day or fraction of each day in attendance

1-23     in court in response to the process.

1-24           (c)  The commissioners court of each county shall determine

1-25     annually the daily reimbursement of expenses for jurors.  The

1-26     reimbursement must be within the minimum and maximum amounts

1-27     prescribed by this section and paid out of the jury fund of the

1-28     county.  In a specific case, the presiding judge, with the

1-29     agreement of the parties involved or their attorneys, may increase

1-30     the daily reimbursement for jurors in that case to an amount not to

1-31     exceed the maximum amount prescribed by this section.  The

1-32     difference between the usual daily reimbursement and the

1-33     reimbursement for jurors in a specific case shall be paid, in equal

1-34     amounts, by the parties involved in the case.

1-35           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-36     applies only to a person serving on a jury under a summons issued

1-37     on or after that date or responding to a jury summons issued on or

1-38     after that date.

1-39           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-40     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-41     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-42     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-43     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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