By: Ellis S.B. No. 230 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to a uniform written jury summons. 1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-3 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 62, Government Code, is 1-4 amended by adding Sections 62.0131 and 62.0132 to read as follows: 1-5 Sec. 62.0131. FORM OF WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS. (a) The Office 1-6 of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System shall develop 1-7 and maintain a model for a uniform written jury summons in this 1-8 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 of the Texas Judicial 1-15 System shall solicit and consider the opinions of the members of 1-16 the judiciary, district clerks, and attorneys. 1-17 Sec. 62.0132. WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS QUESTIONNAIRE. (a) The 1-18 Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System shall 1-19 develop and maintain a questionnaire to accompany a written jury 1-20 summons. 1-21 (b) A written jury summons must include a copy of the 1-22 questionnaire developed under this section. 1-23 (c) The questionnaire must require a person to provide 1-24 biographical and demographic information that is relevant to 2-1 service as a jury member, including the person's: 2-2 (1) name, sex, race, and age; 2-3 (2) residence address and mailing address; 2-4 (3) education level, occupation, and place of 2-5 employment; 2-6 (4) marital status and the name, occupation, and place 2-7 of employment of the person's spouse; and 2-8 (5) citizenship status and county of residence. 2-9 (d) A person who has received a written jury summons and a 2-10 written jury summons questionnaire shall complete and submit the 2-11 questionnaire when the person reports for jury duty. 2-12 (e) In developing and maintaining the questionnaire required 2-13 by this section, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas 2-14 Judicial System shall solicit and consider the opinions of the 2-15 members of the judiciary, district clerks, and attorneys. 2-16 (f) Except as provided by Subsection (g), information 2-17 contained in a completed questionnaire is confidential and is not 2-18 subject to Chapter 552. 2-19 (g) The information contained in a completed questionnaire 2-20 may be disclosed to: 2-21 (1) a judge assigned to hear a cause of action in 2-22 which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential juror; 2-23 (2) court personnel; and 2-24 (3) a litigant and a litigant's attorney in a cause of 2-25 action in which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential 2-26 juror. 3-1 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 3-2 (b) The Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial 3-3 System shall complete the model for the summons and the 3-4 questionnaire required by this Act not later than October 1, 2000, 3-5 and shall distribute the model and the questionnaire to each county 3-6 not later than November 1, 2000. 3-7 (c) A county shall conform its written jury summons to the 3-8 model developed under this Act not later than January 1, 2001. A 3-9 county shall include the questionnaire developed under this Act 3-10 with its written jury summons not later than January 1, 2001. 3-11 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.