Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4088 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R13066 BCH-F
2	2	By: Bonnen H.B. No. 4088
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the qualifications for jury service and the
10	10	establishment of a juror mental health services reimbursement
11	11	program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Government Code, is amended by
14	14	adding Section 61.004 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 61.004. JUROR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES REIMBURSEMENT.
16	16	To the extent funds are appropriated to the Health and Human
17	17	Services Commission for the juror mental health services
18	18	reimbursement program established under Subchapter J, Chapter 547,
19	19	a court presiding over a trial involving a defendant charged with an
20	20	offense under Chapter 19, 20, 21, 22, or 25, Penal Code, shall, for
21	21	each person selected to serve as a juror or alternate juror in the
22	22	trial:
23	23	(1) advise the person in writing about the
24	24	availability of the juror mental health services reimbursement
25	25	program established under Subchapter J, Chapter 547; and
26	26	(2) provide the person with a certificate of
27	27	attendance at the completion of the trial that includes:
28	28	(A) the person's name;
29	29	(B) the name of the court;
30	30	(C) the dates of the person's jury service; and
31	31	(D) each offense under Chapter 19, 20, 21, 22, or
32	32	25, Penal Code, with which the defendant was charged.
33	33	SECTION 2. Section 62.102, Government Code, is amended to
34	34	read as follows:
35	35	Sec. 62.102. GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR JURY SERVICE. A
36	36	person is disqualified to serve as a petit juror unless the person:
37	37	(1) is at least 18 years of age;
38	38	(2) is a citizen of the United States;
39	39	(3) is a resident of this state and of the county in
40	40	which the person is to serve as a juror;
41	41	(4) is qualified under the constitution and laws to
42	42	vote in the county in which the person is to serve as a juror;
43	43	(5) is of sound mind and good moral character;
44	44	(6) is able to read and write;
45	45	(7) has not served as a petit juror for six days during
46	46	the preceding three months in the county court or during the
47	47	preceding six months in the district court;
48	48	(8) has not been convicted of misdemeanor theft or a
49	49	felony; [and]
50	50	(9) is not under indictment or other legal accusation
51	51	for misdemeanor theft or a felony; and
52	52	(10) has not served as a petit juror for three
53	53	consecutive months during the preceding 60 months in the county
54	54	court or district court.
55	55	SECTION 3. Chapter 547, Government Code, as effective April
56	56	1, 2025, is amended by adding Subchapter J to read as follows:
57	57	SUBCHAPTER J. JUROR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
58	58	Sec. 547.0451. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
59	59	(1) "Mental health professional" has the meaning
60	60	assigned by Section 164.003, Health and Safety Code.
61	61	(2) "Mental health services" has the meaning assigned
62	62	by Section 531.002, Health and Safety Code.
63	63	(3) "Program" means the juror mental health services
64	64	reimbursement program established under this subchapter.
65	65	Sec. 547.0452. JUROR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES REIMBURSEMENT
66	66	PROGRAM. (a) To the extent funds are appropriated to the
67	67	commission for that purpose, the commission shall establish a juror
68	68	mental health services reimbursement program to reimburse a
69	69	person's cost of obtaining mental health services related to the
70	70	person's service as a juror or alternate juror in a criminal trial
71	71	that involved a defendant charged with an offense under Chapter 19,
72	72	20, 21, 22, or 25, Penal Code.
73	73	(b) A person is eligible to receive a payment under the
74	74	program in the amount of $150 if the person:
75	75	(1) served as a juror or alternate juror on a criminal
76	76	trial that involved a defendant charged with an offense under
77	77	Chapter 19, 20, 21, 22, or 25, Penal Code, in the 12 months
78	78	immediately preceding the person's application for reimbursement
79	79	under the program;
80	80	(2) provides the commission the certificate of
81	81	attendance described by Section 61.004 for the trial described by
82	82	Subdivision (1);
83	83	(3) obtained mental health services from a mental
84	84	health professional related to the trial described by Subdivision
85	85	(1); and
86	86	(4) provides the commission proof of payment for the
87	87	mental health services described by Subdivision (3).
88	88	(c) The commission shall provide to an eligible person the
89	89	payment not later than the 90th day after the date the commission
90	90	receives the person's application for reimbursement under the
91	91	program.
92	92	(d) The commission shall publish information about the
93	93	program on the commission's Internet website, including:
94	94	(1) a description of the eligibility requirements;
95	95	(2) a description of mental health services eligible
96	96	for reimbursement;
97	97	(3) instructions for submitting an application; and
98	98	(4) a list of mental health resources.
99	99	(e) The commissioner may adopt rules necessary to implement
100	100	the program under this section.
101	101	SECTION 4. Section 62.102, Government Code, as amended by
102	102	this Act, applies only to the qualifications of a person summoned
103	103	for jury service on or after the effective date of this Act. The
104	104	qualifications of a person summoned for jury service before the
105	105	effective date of this Act are governed by the law in effect on the
106	106	date the summons was made, and the former law is continued in effect
107	107	for that purpose.
108	108	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.