By Walker H.B. No. 881 76R3533 KEL-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the disqualification of a person convicted of theft 1-3 from selection or service as a grand juror. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Article 19.08, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-6 amended to read as follows: 1-7 Art. 19.08. QUALIFICATIONS. No person shall be selected or 1-8 serve as a grand juror who does not possess the following 1-9 qualifications: 1-10 1. He must be a citizen of the state, and of the county 1-11 in which he is to serve, and be qualified under the Constitution 1-12 and laws to vote in said county, provided that his failure to 1-13 register to vote shall not be held to disqualify him in this 1-14 instance; 1-15 2. He must be of sound mind and good moral character; 1-16 3. He must be able to read and write; 1-17 4. He must not have been convicted of theft or of any 1-18 felony; 1-19 5. He must not be under indictment or other legal 1-20 accusation for theft or of any felony; 1-21 6. He must not be related within the third degree of 1-22 consanguinity or second degree of affinity, as determined under 1-23 Chapter 573, Government Code, to any person selected to serve or 1-24 serving on the same grand jury; 2-1 7. He must not have served as grand juror or jury 2-2 commissioner in the year before the date on which the term of court 2-3 for which he has been selected as grand juror begins; 2-4 8. He must not be a complainant in any matter to be 2-5 heard by the grand jury during the term of court for which he has 2-6 been selected as a grand juror. 2-7 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 2-8 only to grand juror selections made on or after the effective date 2-9 of this Act. For purposes of this section, a selection is made 2-10 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the 2-11 selection process occurs before the effective date. 2-12 (b) A selection made before the effective date of this Act 2-13 is covered by the law in effect when the selection process began, 2-14 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 2-15 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-16 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 2-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.