1-1     By:  Ellis                                            S.C.R. No. 15
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 22, 1999; January 27, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
 1-4     February 24, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas
 1-5     5, Nays 0; February 24, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                        SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-7           WHEREAS, While jury service is a civic duty for many
 1-8     Americans, extended jury service can create significant financial
 1-9     hardship on jurors, and for many citizens the honor and privilege
1-10     of serving on a jury becomes instead a burden that not only tends
1-11     to limit participation in jury service but ultimately reduces the
1-12     representativeness of juries in an increasingly diverse society;
1-13     and
1-14           WHEREAS, Under current law, jurors are entitled to
1-15     reimbursement of expenses in an amount not less than $6 nor more
1-16     than $50 for each day of jury service, with the actual amount being
1-17     determined by the county commissioners court; the law also allows a
1-18     presiding judge, under certain circumstances, to increase the daily
1-19     reimbursement above the amount set by the commissioners court
1-20     provided that reimbursement does not exceed the maximum allowable
1-21     amount of $50 per day, with the additional costs in these cases
1-22     being shared equally by the parties involved; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Because jurors' compensation often falls at the
1-24     lower end of this reimbursement schedule, jury duty participation
1-25     may cause undue financial hardships on citizens who incur
1-26     substantial traveling and other daily expenses when responding to a
1-27     jury summons; and
1-28           WHEREAS, To alleviate potential financial hardships for those
1-29     jurors who serve for an extended period of time, a task force
1-30     appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas recommended increasing the
1-31     reimbursement of expenses for jurors to $40 per day beginning on
1-32     the second day of jury service; in its 1997 report the task force
1-33     also recommended that counties be allowed the option of offering to
1-34     jurors an array of first-day incentives; and
1-35           WHEREAS, In addition to easing the financial burden that jury
1-36     service imposes on some citizens, the recommendations of the
1-37     Supreme Court of Texas Jury Task Force regarding an increase in the
1-38     reimbursement of expenses for jurors and other incentives also
1-39     would facilitate the court system's efforts to increase the number
1-40     and diversity of people who are able to participate in the state's
1-41     jury system; now, therefore, be it
1-42           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
1-43     hereby direct the Texas Judicial Council to examine the costs of
1-44     increasing reimbursement of expenses of jurors to $40 after the
1-45     first day of trial and to examine the feasibility of allowing
1-46     counties to offer other incentives to jurors for service; and, be
1-47     it further
1-48           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
1-49     copy of this resolution to the executive director of the Texas
1-50     Judicial Council.
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