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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 the exemption of certain firefighters and police |
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| 8 | 8 | | officers from jury service. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 62.106(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) A person qualified to serve as a petit juror may |
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| 13 | 13 | | establish an exemption from jury service if the person: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) is over 70 years of age; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years |
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| 16 | 16 | | of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the |
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| 17 | 17 | | child without adequate supervision; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (3) is a student of a public or private secondary |
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| 19 | 19 | | school; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an |
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| 21 | 21 | | institution of higher education; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the |
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| 23 | 23 | | house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, |
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| 24 | 24 | | office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state |
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| 25 | 25 | | government; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (6) is summoned for service in a county with a |
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| 27 | 27 | | population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan |
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| 28 | 28 | | under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section |
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| 29 | 29 | | 62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a petit |
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| 30 | 30 | | juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date |
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| 31 | 31 | | the person is to appear for jury service; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (7) is the primary caretaker of a person who is unable |
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| 33 | 33 | | to care for himself or herself; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (8) except as provided by Subsection (b), is summoned |
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| 35 | 35 | | for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and |
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| 36 | 36 | | the person has served as a petit juror in the county during the |
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| 37 | 37 | | three-year period preceding the date the person is to appear for |
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| 38 | 38 | | jury service; [or] |
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| 39 | 39 | | (9) is a member of the United States military forces |
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| 40 | 40 | | serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the |
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| 41 | 41 | | person's home station and out of the person's county of residence; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (10) is a firefighter, including a fire chief, who is |
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| 43 | 43 | | a permanent, paid employee of the fire department of a municipality |
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| 44 | 44 | | or county or of a special district or authority that provides |
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| 45 | 45 | | firefighting services; or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (11) is a police officer, including a police chief, |
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| 47 | 47 | | who is a permanent, paid employee of the police department of a |
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| 48 | 48 | | municipality or county. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies only to a person summoned to |
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| 50 | 50 | | appear for jury service who is required to appear on or after the |
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| 51 | 51 | | effective date of this Act. A person summoned to appear for jury |
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| 52 | 52 | | service who is required to appear before the effective date of this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act is governed by the law in effect immediately before the |
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| 54 | 54 | | effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in |
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| 55 | 55 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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