Bill
SB 259
85(R) - 2017
Senate State Affairs
Senate State Affairs
Courts
Juries
Companion Bill
HB 1755
Vote Recommendation
Yes
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Positive
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Neutral
Author(s)
Don Huffines
Bill Caption
Relating to jury summons questionnaires.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Bill Analysis
Under current law, a written jury summons must also contain a copy of a questionnaire requesting personal information (name, address, citizenship, etc.) developed in Section 62.0132, Government Code. SB 259 would also allow the written jury summons to instead contain a website address from which the questionnaire can be printed. It would also allow people to fill out the questionnaire online in counties that have chosen to adopt a plan for electronic jury selection.
Vote Recommendation Notes
Allowing jurors to fill out a questionnaire online could potentially speed up the process, modernize jury selection, and reduce the cost of notifying jurors. This bill gives county flexibility to determine which method is best and could allow them to be more efficient. We believe this positively affects our limited government principle, therefore we support SB 259.
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