1-1 By: Ellis S.B. No. 230 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed January 22, 1999; January 28, 1999, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence; 1-4 March 11, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; March 11, 1999, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 230 By: Ellis 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to a uniform written jury summons. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 62, Government Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Sections 62.0131 and 62.0132 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 62.0131. FORM OF WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS. (a) The Office 1-15 of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System shall develop 1-16 and maintain a model for a uniform written jury summons in this 1-17 state. 1-18 (b) The model must include the exemptions and restrictions 1-19 governing jury service under Subchapter B. 1-20 (c) A written jury summons must conform with the model 1-21 established under this section. 1-22 (d) In developing and maintaining the model required by this 1-23 section, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial 1-24 System shall solicit and consider the opinions of the members of 1-25 the judiciary, district clerks, and attorneys. 1-26 Sec. 62.0132. WRITTEN JURY SUMMONS QUESTIONNAIRE. (a) The 1-27 Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System shall 1-28 develop and maintain a questionnaire to accompany a written jury 1-29 summons. 1-30 (b) A written jury summons must include a copy of the 1-31 questionnaire developed under this section. 1-32 (c) The questionnaire must require a person to provide 1-33 biographical and demographic information that is relevant to 1-34 service as a jury member, including the person's: 1-35 (1) name, sex, race, and age; 1-36 (2) residence address and mailing address; 1-37 (3) education level, occupation, and place of 1-38 employment; 1-39 (4) marital status and the name, occupation, and place 1-40 of employment of the person's spouse; and 1-41 (5) citizenship status and county of residence. 1-42 (d) A person who has received a written jury summons and a 1-43 written jury summons questionnaire shall complete and submit the 1-44 questionnaire when the person reports for jury duty. 1-45 (e) In developing and maintaining the questionnaire required 1-46 by this section, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas 1-47 Judicial System shall solicit and consider the opinions of the 1-48 members of the judiciary, district clerks, and attorneys. 1-49 (f) Except as provided by Subsection (g), information 1-50 contained in a completed questionnaire is confidential and is not 1-51 subject to Chapter 552. 1-52 (g) The information contained in a completed questionnaire 1-53 may be disclosed to: 1-54 (1) a judge assigned to hear a cause of action in 1-55 which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential juror; 1-56 (2) court personnel; and 1-57 (3) a litigant and a litigant's attorney in a cause of 1-58 action in which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential 1-59 juror. 1-60 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-61 (b) The Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial 1-62 System shall complete the model for the summons and the 1-63 questionnaire required by this Act not later than October 1, 2000, 1-64 and shall distribute the model and the questionnaire to each county 2-1 not later than November 1, 2000. 2-2 (c) A county shall conform its written jury summons to the 2-3 model developed under this Act not later than January 1, 2001. A 2-4 county shall include the questionnaire developed under this Act 2-5 with its written jury summons not later than January 1, 2001. 2-6 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 2-11 * * * * *