| TO: | Honorable Glenn Lewis, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1433 by Chisum (Relating to the responsibilities of certain county officials for selection of a jury source.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to give county commissioners courts the option to require the county auditor to prepare a jury source report on estimated county expenses associated with the selection and service of jurors. If the commissioners court were to adopt a jury source report resolution, the comissioners court would be required to publish the resolution one time in a newpaper of general circulation or at the courthouse door and two other public places for 10 days if there is no newspaper of general circulation published in the county. The county auditor would be required to file the jury source report with the county clerk.
The bill would also amend the Government Code to allow, upon approval by a commissioners court, a jury wheel to be reconstituted by using as the only source the names of all persons on the current voter registration lists from all precincts in the county. Current statute requires also using driver license information as a source for creating a jury pool.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2003 and apply only to persons summoned to appear for jury service after a jury wheel has been reconstituted after that date.
Authorization for a county commissioners court to require the preparation of a jury source report would create administrative costs that are expected to be insignificant.
Reconstituting a jury wheel using only voter registration information would result in a savings in postage, paper, and printing from sending out fewer summonses. For example, Dallas County currently spends $200,000 per year on postage, which is more than double what the county spent on postage prior to adding driver license information to the jury wheel, not withstanding increases in postage since the change occurred in fiscal year 1994. Additionally, because driver license information has a higher rate of inaccuracy than voter registration, there would be a savings in administrative costs from dealing with less returned mail.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
| Source Agencies: | |
| LBB Staff: | JK, DLBa
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