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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a limited exception to the prohibition on releasing |
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personal information about a juror collected during the jury |
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selection process in certain cases. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 35.29, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Art. 35.29. PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT JURORS. (a) Except |
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as provided by Subsections (b) and (c), information [Information] |
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collected by the court or by a prosecuting attorney during the jury |
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selection process about a person who serves as a juror, including |
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the juror's home address, home telephone number, social security |
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number, driver's license number, and other personal information, is |
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confidential and may not be disclosed by the court, the prosecuting |
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attorney, the defense counsel, or any court personnel. |
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(b) On [except on] application by a party in the trial, or on |
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application by a bona fide member of the news media acting in such |
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capacity, to the court for the disclosure of information described |
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by Subsection (a), the court shall, on [in which the person is
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serving or did serve as a juror. On] a showing of good cause, [the
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court shall] permit disclosure of the information sought. |
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(c) The defense counsel may disclose information described |
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by Subsection (a) to successor counsel representing the same |
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defendant in a proceeding under Article 11.071 without application |
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to the court or a showing of good cause. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to an |
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application for a writ of habeas corpus under Article 11.071, Code |
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of Criminal Procedure, that is pending on the effective date of this |
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Act or filed on or after that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |