1-1     By:  Oliveira (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                H.B. No. 1886

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997;

 1-3     May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to certain juror donations.

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

1-10           SECTION 1.  Sections 61.003(a) and (b), Government Code, are

1-11     amended to read as follows:

1-12           (a)  A person responsible under Section 62.013 or 62.014 for

1-13     summoning prospective jurors to appear for jury service shall

1-14     provide to each prospective juror a form letter that when signed by

1-15     the prospective juror directs the county treasurer to donate all or

1-16     part of the prospective juror's reimbursement for jury service to:

1-17                 (1)  the compensation to victims of crime fund under

1-18     Subchapter B, Chapter 56, Code of Criminal Procedure;

1-19                 (2)  the child welfare service fund under Chapter 264,

1-20     Family Code;

1-21                 (3)  any program selected by the commissioners court

1-22     that is operated by a public or private nonprofit organization and

1-23     that provides shelter and services to victims of family violence;

1-24     or

1-25                 (4)  any other program approved by the commissioners

1-26     court of the county.

1-27           (b)  The county treasurer shall:

1-28                 (1)  send all donations made under Subsection (a)(1)

1-29     [this section] to the comptroller [state treasurer], at the time

1-30     and in the manner prescribed by the attorney general, for deposit

1-31     to the credit of the compensation to victims of crime fund;

1-32                 (2)  send all donations made under Subsection (a)(2) to

1-33     the comptroller for deposit to the credit of the child welfare

1-34     service fund in the state treasury; and

1-35                 (3)  send all donations made under Subsection (a)(3) or

1-36     (a)(4) directly to the program specified on the form letter signed

1-37     by the prospective juror.

1-38           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-39     applies only to a person responding to a summons issued on or after

1-40     that date.

1-41           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-42     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-43     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-44     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-45     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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