| 1 | 1 | | 84R7146 MEW-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 1861 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to reports to the Office of Court Administration of the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas Judicial System on the composition of grand and petit juries |
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| 9 | 9 | | in each county. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 71.0354. GRAND AND PETIT JURY COMPOSITION; STATISTICS; |
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| 14 | 14 | | REPORT. (a) As a component of the official monthly report submitted |
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| 15 | 15 | | to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System |
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| 16 | 16 | | under Section 71.035, a district court or county court at law shall |
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| 17 | 17 | | report: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) the number of persons summoned to serve as grand |
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| 19 | 19 | | jurors under Chapter 19, Code of Criminal Procedure, for each term |
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| 20 | 20 | | of court; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) the age, gender, and race of each person described |
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| 22 | 22 | | by Subdivision (1); |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) the number of grand juries impaneled under Chapter |
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| 24 | 24 | | 19, Code of Criminal Procedure; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) the age, gender, and racial composition of each |
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| 26 | 26 | | grand jury described by Subdivision (3); |
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| 27 | 27 | | (5) the number of persons summoned to serve as petit |
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| 28 | 28 | | jurors under Chapter 35, Code of Criminal Procedure, for each |
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| 29 | 29 | | applicable case before the court; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (6) the age, gender, and race of each person described |
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| 31 | 31 | | by Subdivision (5); |
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| 32 | 32 | | (7) the number of petit juries impaneled under Chapter |
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| 33 | 33 | | 35, Code of Criminal Procedure; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (8) the age, gender, and racial composition of each |
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| 35 | 35 | | petit jury described by Subdivision (7). |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) Not later than January 31 of each year, each county |
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| 37 | 37 | | shall submit to the office of court administration a report: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) comparing for the preceding calendar year the age, |
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| 39 | 39 | | gender, and racial composition of the county's grand and petit |
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| 40 | 40 | | juries with the age, gender, and racial demographics of the county; |
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| 41 | 41 | | and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (2) explaining any discrepancies between the two sets |
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| 43 | 43 | | of demographic information described by Subdivision (1). |
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| 44 | 44 | | (c) The office of court administration shall make each |
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| 45 | 45 | | report provided under Subsection (b) available to the public and |
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| 46 | 46 | | members of the press. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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