1-1           By:  Carona                                      S.B. No. 231

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 16, 1997; January 21, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;

 1-4     February 12, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas

 1-5     7, Nays 0; February 12, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to sources of names for the jury wheel.

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

1-10           SECTION 1.  Subsections (a) and (f), Section 62.001,

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

1-12           (a)  The jury wheel must be reconstituted by using, as the

1-13     source:

1-14                 (1)  the names of all persons on the current voter

1-15     registration lists from all the precincts in the county; and

1-16                 (2)  all names on a current list to be furnished by the

1-17     Department of Public Safety, showing the citizens of the county

1-18     who:

1-19                       (A)  hold a valid Texas driver's license or [and

1-20     the citizens of the county, other than persons who are disqualified

1-21     from jury service, who hold] a valid personal identification card

1-22     or certificate issued by the department; and

1-23                       (B)  are not disqualified from jury service under

1-24     Section 62.102(1), (2), or (7).

1-25           (f)  The Department of Public Safety shall furnish a list to

1-26     the secretary of state that shows the names required under

1-27     Subsection (a)(2) and that contains any of the information

1-28     enumerated in Subsection (c) that is available to the department,

1-29     including citizenship status and county of residence.  The list

1-30     shall exclude the names of convicted felons and persons residing

1-31     outside the county.  The department shall furnish the list on or

1-32     before the first Monday in October of each year.

1-33           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-34     applies only to lists furnished by the Department of Public Safety

1-35     of the State of Texas on or after the effective date of this Act.

1-36     Lists furnished by the department before the effective date of this

1-37     Act are governed by the law as it existed on the date the list was

1-38     furnished, and the former law is continued in effect for that

1-39     purpose.

1-40           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-41     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-42     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-43     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-44     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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