By: Duncan S.B. No. 216 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the disqualification of a person convicted of theft 1-2 from selection or service as a grand juror. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Article 19.08, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-5 amended to read as follows: 1-6 Art. 19.08. QUALIFICATIONS. No person shall be selected or 1-7 serve as a grand juror who does not possess the following 1-8 qualifications: 1-9 1. He must be a citizen of the state, and of the 1-10 county in which he is to serve, and be qualified under the 1-11 Constitution and laws to vote in said county, provided that his 1-12 failure to register to vote shall not be held to disqualify him in 1-13 this instance; 1-14 2. He must be of sound mind and good moral character; 1-15 3. He must be able to read and write; 1-16 4. He must not have been convicted of theft or of any 1-17 felony; 1-18 5. He must not be under indictment or other legal 1-19 accusation for theft or of any felony; 1-20 6. He must not be related within the third degree of 1-21 consanguinity or second degree of affinity, as determined under 1-22 Chapter 573, Government Code, to any person selected to serve or 1-23 serving on the same grand jury; 1-24 7. He must not have served as grand juror or jury 2-1 commissioner in the year before the date on which the term of court 2-2 for which he has been selected as grand juror begins; 2-3 8. He must not be a complainant in any matter to be 2-4 heard by the grand jury during the term of court for which he has 2-5 been selected as a grand juror. 2-6 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 2-7 only to grand juror selections made on or after the effective date 2-8 of this Act. For purposes of this section, a selection is made 2-9 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the 2-10 selection process occurs before the effective date. 2-11 (b) A selection made before the effective date of this Act 2-12 is covered by the law in effect when the selection process began, 2-13 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 2-14 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-15 SECTION 4. 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.