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