LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 10, 2013

TO:	Honorable Abel Herrero, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB834 by Estes (Relating to the confidentiality of certain grand juror information, including making former district court jurors instead of former grand jurors eligible for service on certain public committees.), As Engrossed

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would require a court to disclose the names, races, ethnicities and genders of the grand jurors to the parties' attorneys for the purpose of a constitutional challenge to the array after indictment.  The bill would require the court to order the attorneys and their support staff and experts to not disclose the information.

The bill would require the county clerk to provide the county judge with a container of all the names of the previous year's district court jurors, rather than grand jurors.

According to the Office of Court Administration no significant fiscal impact to the state judiciary is anticipated.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council

LBB Staff:

UP, ESi, KKR