83R4296 JRR-F
By: Rodriguez S.B. No. 1043
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to access to personal information about jurors in a
criminal trial.
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)
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 representing the
defendant at trial or in a subsequent proceeding, or any court
personnel except as otherwise provided by this article.
(b) Information described by Subsection (a) may be
disclosed to [on application by] a party in the trial or [on
application by] a bona fide member of the news media acting in such
capacity. The [to the court 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 only after an application for
the information is made and good cause for receiving the
information is shown [sought].
(c) On a written request, the court shall disclose the
information described by Subsection (a), including providing
copies of any juror summons, to counsel representing the defendant
in a subsequent proceeding. A showing of good cause is not required
for a disclosure under this subsection.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to a jury selected on or after the effective date of this Act. A
jury selected before the effective date of this Act is governed by
the law in effect on the date the jury was selected, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.