Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2015 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.B. No. 2015
2	2
3	3
4	4	AN ACT
5	5	relating to the exemption from jury service for persons over a
6	6	certain age.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Section 62.106(a), Government Code, is amended
9	9	to read as follows:
10	10	(a) A person qualified to serve as a petit juror may
11	11	establish an exemption from jury service if the person:
12	12	(1) is over 75 [70] years of age;
13	13	(2) has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years
14	14	of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the
15	15	child without adequate supervision;
16	16	(3) is a student of a public or private secondary
17	17	school;
18	18	(4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an
19	19	institution of higher education;
20	20	(5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the
21	21	house of representatives, or any department, commission, board,
22	22	office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state
23	23	government;
24	24	(6) is summoned for service in a county with a
25	25	population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan
26	26	under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section
27	27	62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a petit
28	28	juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date
29	29	the person is to appear for jury service;
30	30	(7) is the primary caretaker of a person who is unable
31	31	to care for himself or herself;
32	32	(8) except as provided by Subsection (b), is summoned
33	33	for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and
34	34	the person has served as a petit juror in the county during the
35	35	three-year period preceding the date the person is to appear for
36	36	jury service; or
37	37	(9) is a member of the United States military forces
38	38	serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the
39	39	person's home station and out of the person's county of residence.
40	40	SECTION 2. Section 62.107(c), Government Code, is amended
41	41	to read as follows:
42	42	(c) A person who files a statement with a clerk of the court,
43	43	as provided by Subsection (a), claiming an exemption because the
44	44	person is over 75 [70] years of age, may also claim the permanent
45	45	exemption on that ground authorized by Section 62.108 by including
46	46	in the statement filed with the clerk a declaration that the person
47	47	desires the permanent exemption. Promptly after a statement
48	48	claiming a permanent exemption on the basis of age is filed, the
49	49	clerk of the court with whom it is filed shall have a copy delivered
50	50	to the voter registrar of the county.
51	51	SECTION 3. Sections 62.108(a), (b), (c), and (e),
52	52	Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
53	53	(a) A person who is entitled to exemption from jury service
54	54	because the person is over 75 [70] years of age may establish a
55	55	permanent exemption on that ground as provided by this section or
56	56	Section 62.107.
57	57	(b) A person may claim a permanent exemption:
58	58	(1) by filing with the voter registrar of the county,
59	59	by mail or personal delivery, a signed statement affirming that the
60	60	person is over 75 [70] years of age and desires a permanent
61	61	exemption on that ground; or
62	62	(2) in the manner provided by Section 62.107(c).
63	63	(c) The voter registrar of the county shall maintain a
64	64	current register indicating the name of each person who has claimed
65	65	and is entitled to a permanent exemption from jury service because
66	66	the person is over 75 [70] years of age.
67	67	(e) A person who has claimed a permanent exemption from jury
68	68	service because the person is over 75 [70] years of age may rescind
69	69	the exemption at any time by filing a signed request for the
70	70	rescission with the voter registrar of the county. Rescission of a
71	71	permanent exemption does not affect the right of a person who is
72	72	over 75 [70] years of age to claim permanent exemption at a later
73	73	time.
74	74	SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act applies only
75	75	to an exemption from jury service for a person who is summoned to
76	76	appear for service on or after the effective date of this Act. An
77	77	exemption from jury service for a person who is summoned to appear
78	78	for service before the effective date of this Act is covered by the
79	79	law in effect when the person was summoned, and that law is
80	80	continued in effect for that purpose.
81	81	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
82	82	______________________________ ______________________________
83	83	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
84	84	I certify that H.B. No. 2015 was passed by the House on April
85	85	13, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 138, Nays 9, 2 present, not
86	86	voting.
87	87	______________________________
88	88	Chief Clerk of the House
89	89	I certify that H.B. No. 2015 was passed by the Senate on May
90	90	11, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 1.
91	91	______________________________
92	92	Secretary of the Senate
93	93	APPROVED: _____________________
94	94	Date
95	95	_____________________
96	96	Governor