By:  Carona, Nelson                                    S.B. No. 231

              West

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to sources of names for the jury wheel.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subsections (a) and (f), Section 62.001,

 1-4     Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

 1-5           (a)  The jury wheel must be reconstituted by using, as the

 1-6     source:

 1-7                 (1)  the names of all persons on the current voter

 1-8     registration lists from all the precincts in the county; and

 1-9                 (2)  all names on a current list to be furnished by the

1-10     Department of Public Safety, showing the citizens of the county

1-11     who:

1-12                       (A)  hold a valid Texas driver's license or [and

1-13     the citizens of the county, other than persons who are disqualified

1-14     from jury service, who hold] a valid personal identification card

1-15     or certificate issued by the department; and

1-16                       (B)  are not disqualified from jury service under

1-17     Section 62.102(1), (2), or (7).

1-18           (f)  The Department of Public Safety shall furnish a list to

1-19     the secretary of state that shows the names required under

1-20     Subsection (a)(2) and that contains any of the information

1-21     enumerated in Subsection (c) that is available to the department,

1-22     including citizenship status and county of residence.  The list

1-23     shall exclude the names of convicted felons and persons residing

 2-1     outside the county.  The department shall furnish the list on or

 2-2     before the first Monday in October of each year.

 2-3           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

 2-4     applies only to lists furnished by the Department of Public Safety

 2-5     of the State of Texas on or after the effective date of this Act.

 2-6     Lists furnished by the department before the effective date of this

 2-7     Act are governed by the law as it existed on the date the list was

 2-8     furnished, and the former law is continued in effect for that

 2-9     purpose.

2-10           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-11     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-12     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-13     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-14     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.