SRC-AXB S.B. 409 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 409 76R1709 JMC-DBy: Duncan Jurisprudence 2/24/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, the court trying a felony case is authorized to order the jury not to separate, except for housing female and male jurors separately. The Rules of Civil Procedure include language which allows the jury to separate. This bill would authorize a trial judge to permit jurors to separate for meals or other purposes. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 409 permits jurors in a felony case to separate for meals or other purposes. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Article 35.23, Code of Criminal Procedure, to authorize a court in a felony case, to order that the jury not be allowed to separate, except to the extent of permitting jurors to separate for meals or other proper purposes. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.