By Crabb H.B. No. 2230 76R5447 DB-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a uniform jury summons. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 62, Government Code, is 1-5 amended by adding Sections 62.0131 and 62.0132 to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 62.0131. FORM OF WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS. (a) The office 1-7 of court administration shall develop and maintain a model for a 1-8 uniform written jury summons in this state. 1-9 (b) The model must include the exemptions and restrictions 1-10 governing jury service under Subchapter B. 1-11 (c) A written jury summons must conform with the model 1-12 established under this section. 1-13 (d) In developing and maintaining the model required by this 1-14 section, the office of court administration shall solicit and 1-15 consider the opinions of the members of the judiciary, district 1-16 clerks, and attorneys. 1-17 Sec. 62.0132. WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS QUESTIONNAIRE. (a) The 1-18 office of court administration shall develop and maintain a 1-19 questionnaire to accompany a written jury summons. 1-20 (b) A written jury summons must include a copy of the 1-21 questionnaire developed under this section. 1-22 (c) The questionnaire must require a person to provide 1-23 biographical and demographic information that is relevant to 1-24 service as a jury member, including: 2-1 (1) the person's: 2-2 (A) name, sex, race, and age; 2-3 (B) residence address and mailing address; 2-4 (C) education level, occupation, and place of 2-5 employment; 2-6 (D) marital status, and the name, occupation, 2-7 and place of employment of the person's spouse; 2-8 (E) citizenship status and county of residence; 2-9 and 2-10 (F) level of proficiency in reading, speaking, 2-11 and understanding the English language; 2-12 (2) whether the person needs an accommodation for a 2-13 physical or mental disability to allow the person to serve on a 2-14 jury; and 2-15 (3) whether the person has been convicted of perjury. 2-16 (d) A person who has received a written jury summons and a 2-17 written jury summons questionnaire shall complete and submit the 2-18 questionnaire when the person reports for jury duty. 2-19 (e) In developing and maintaining the questionnaire required 2-20 by this section, the office of court administration shall solicit 2-21 and consider the opinions of the members of the judiciary, district 2-22 clerks, and attorneys. 2-23 (f) Except as provided by Subsection (g), information 2-24 contained in a completed questionnaire is confidential and is not 2-25 subject to Chapter 552. Information contained in a completed 2-26 questionnaire is not a judicial record for purposes of the Rules of 2-27 Judicial Administration. 3-1 (g) The information contained in a completed questionnaire 3-2 may be disclosed to: 3-3 (1) a judge assigned to hear a cause of action in 3-4 which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential juror; 3-5 (2) court personnel; and 3-6 (3) a litigant and a litigant's attorney in a cause of 3-7 action in which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential 3-8 juror. 3-9 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 3-10 (b) The office of court administration shall complete the 3-11 model for the summons and the questionnaire required by Sections 3-12 62.0131 and 62.0132, Government Code, as added by this Act, not 3-13 later than October 1, 2000, and shall distribute the model and the 3-14 questionnaire to each county not later than November 1, 2000. 3-15 (c) A county shall conform its written jury summons to the 3-16 model developed under Section 62.0131, Government Code, as added by 3-17 this Act, not later than January 1, 2001. A county shall include 3-18 the questionnaire developed under Section 62.0132, Government Code, 3-19 as added by this Act, with its written jury summons not later than 3-20 January 1, 2001. 3-21 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.