1-1     By:  Solis (Senate Sponsor - Luna)                    H.B. No. 2156

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

 1-3     April 23, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 13, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 13, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to counties contracting for the combination of lists for a

 1-9     jury pool.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 62.001(i), Government Code, is amended to

1-12     read as follows:

1-13           (i)  The  [In a county with a population of less than 105,000

1-14     in which the municipality with the largest population is located in

1-15     more than one county, the] commissioners court may, instead of

1-16     using the method provided by Subsections (c) through (h), contract

1-17     with another governmental unit or a private person to combine the

1-18     voter registration list with the list furnished by the Department

1-19     of Public Safety.  Subsections (c) through (h) do not apply to a

1-20     county in which the commissioners court has contracted with another

1-21     governmental unit or a private person under this subsection.  The

1-22     Department of Public Safety may not charge a fee for furnishing a

1-23     list under this subsection.  Each list must contain the name and

1-24     address of each person listed.  If practical, each list must

1-25     contain the age and citizenship of each person and any other

1-26     information useful in determining if the person is qualified to

1-27     serve as a juror.

1-28           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-29     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-30     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-31     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-32     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-33     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-34     passage, and it is so enacted.

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