Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1957 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3959 JTZ-D
2	2	By: Smithee H.B. No. 1957
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to an exemption from jury service for a person who is over
10	10	the age of 65.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 62.106(a), Government Code, is amended
13	13	to read as follows:
14	14	(a) A person qualified to serve as a petit juror may
15	15	establish an exemption from jury service if the person:
16	16	(1) is over 65 [75] years of age;
17	17	(2) has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years
18	18	of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the
19	19	child without adequate supervision;
20	20	(3) is a student of a public or private secondary
21	21	school;
22	22	(4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an
23	23	institution of higher education;
24	24	(5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the
25	25	house of representatives, or any department, commission, board,
26	26	office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state
27	27	government;
28	28	(6) is summoned for service in a county with a
29	29	population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan
30	30	under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section
31	31	62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a petit
32	32	juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date
33	33	the person is to appear for jury service;
34	34	(7) is the primary caretaker of a person who is unable
35	35	to care for himself or herself;
36	36	(8) except as provided by Subsection (b), is summoned
37	37	for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and
38	38	the person has served as a petit juror in the county during the
39	39	three-year period preceding the date the person is to appear for
40	40	jury service; or
41	41	(9) is a member of the United States military forces
42	42	serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the
43	43	person's home station and out of the person's county of residence.
44	44	SECTION 2. Section 62.107(c), Government Code, is amended
45	45	to read as follows:
46	46	(c) A person who is over 75 years of age and who files a
47	47	statement with a clerk of the court[,] as provided by Subsection
48	48	(a)[,] claiming an exemption under Section 62.106(a)(1) [because
49	49	the person is over 75 years of age,] may also claim the permanent
50	50	exemption [on that ground] authorized by Section 62.108 by
51	51	including in the statement filed with the clerk a declaration that
52	52	the person desires the permanent exemption. Promptly after a
53	53	statement claiming a permanent exemption on the basis of age is
54	54	filed, the clerk of the court with whom it is filed shall have a copy
55	55	delivered to the voter registrar of the county.
56	56	SECTION 3. Section 62.108(a), Government Code, is amended
57	57	to read as follows:
58	58	(a) A person who is over 75 years of age and who is entitled
59	59	to exemption from jury service under Section 62.106(a)(1) [because
60	60	the person is over 75 years of age] may establish a permanent
61	61	exemption on the [that] ground of being over 75 years of age as
62	62	provided by this section or Section 62.107.
63	63	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
64	64	the establishment of an exemption from jury service for a person
65	65	summoned to appear for jury service on a date on or after the
66	66	effective date of this Act.
67	67	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.