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.