By Wilson                                              H.B. No. 701
         76R1158 JMC-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the exemption from jury service of a sole proprietor
 1-3     and of certain employees of a business entity.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 62.106, Government Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 62.106.  EXEMPTION FROM JURY SERVICE.  A person
 1-8     qualified to serve as a petit juror may establish an exemption from
 1-9     jury service if the person:
1-10                 (1)  is over 70 years of age;
1-11                 (2)  has legal custody of a child [or children] younger
1-12     than 10 years of age and the person's service on the jury requires
1-13     leaving the child [or children] without adequate supervision;
1-14                 (3)  is a student of a public or private secondary
1-15     school;
1-16                 (4)  is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at
1-17     an institution of higher education;
1-18                 (5)  is an officer or an employee of the senate, the
1-19     house of representatives, or any department, commission, board,
1-20     office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state
1-21     government;
1-22                 (6)  is summoned for service in a county with a
1-23     population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan
1-24     under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section
 2-1     62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a
 2-2     petit juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the
 2-3     date the person is to appear for jury service;  [or]
 2-4                 (7)  is the primary caretaker of a person who is an
 2-5     invalid unable to care for himself;
 2-6                 (8)  is the owner of a sole proprietorship and the
 2-7     person's service on the jury requires the person to close the
 2-8     business; or
 2-9                 (9)  is an employee of a business entity and the entity
2-10     does not pay the person wages while the person is absent from work
2-11     because of jury service.
2-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
2-13     applies only to persons summoned to appear on or after that date
2-14     for jury service.
2-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.