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.