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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to reports to the Office of Court Administration of the |
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Texas Judicial System on the composition of grand and petit juries |
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in each county. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 71.0354. GRAND AND PETIT JURY COMPOSITION; STATISTICS; |
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REPORT. (a) As a component of the official monthly report submitted |
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to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System |
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under Section 71.035, a district court or county court at law shall |
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report: |
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(1) the number of persons summoned to serve as grand |
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jurors under Chapter 19, Code of Criminal Procedure, for each term |
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of court; |
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(2) the age, gender, and race of each person described |
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by Subdivision (1); |
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(3) the number of grand juries impaneled under Chapter |
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19, Code of Criminal Procedure; |
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(4) the age, gender, and racial composition of each |
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grand jury described by Subdivision (3); |
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(5) the number of persons summoned to serve as petit |
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jurors under Chapter 35, Code of Criminal Procedure, for each |
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applicable case before the court; |
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(6) the age, gender, and race of each person described |
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by Subdivision (5); |
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(7) the number of petit juries impaneled under Chapter |
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35, Code of Criminal Procedure; and |
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(8) the age, gender, and racial composition of each |
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petit jury described by Subdivision (7). |
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(b) Not later than January 31 of each year, each county |
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shall submit to the office of court administration a report: |
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(1) comparing for the preceding calendar year the age, |
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gender, and racial composition of the county's grand and petit |
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juries with the age, gender, and racial demographics of the county; |
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and |
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(2) explaining any discrepancies between the two sets |
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of demographic information described by Subdivision (1). |
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(c) The office of court administration shall make each |
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report provided under Subsection (b) available to the public and |
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members of the press. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |