HBA-KMH H.B. 2417 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2417 By: Hinojosa Judicial Affairs 4/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, jurors can be pooled from the names of all persons on the current voter registration lists from all the precincts in the county, and all names on a current list to be furnished by the Department of Public Safety (department), showing the citizens of the county who hold a valid Texas driver's license or a valid personal identification card or certificate issued by the department, and are not disqualified from jury service under Section 62.102 (General Qualifications for Jury Service), Government Code. To be qualified to serve on a jury an individual must be a person who: _is at least 18 years of age; _is a citizen of this state and of the county in which he is to serve as a juror; _is qualified under the constitution and laws to vote in the county in which he is to serve as a juror; _is of sound mind and good moral character; _is able to read and write; _has not served as a petit juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court; _has not been convicted of a felony; and _is not under indictment or other legal accusation of misdemeanor or felony theft or any other felony. A possible way to make the means of jury pool selection more efficient is to authorize the commissioners court of a county to restrict a jury pool from being reconstituted by other names than those on the voter registration lists from all the precincts of the county. H.B. 2417 authorizes a commissioners court to provide that the jury pool for that county be reconstituted solely from the voter registration lists from all precincts in the county. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 62.001, Government Code, by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (j), as follows: (a) Subjects the subsection to the provisions of Subsection (j). Makes nonsubstantive changes. (b) Makes conforming changes. (j) Authorizes a jury wheel, on approval of the commissioners court, to be reconstituted by using the names of all persons on the current voter registration lists from all precincts in the county as the only source. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective as to a person summoned to appear for jury service after the jury wheel has been constituted for the county under the section as amended by this Act. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.