bill letting crime victims who testified skip jury duty

The text as introduced · 470 words

89R3188 BCH-F

By: Vasut
H.B. No. 745

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to an exemption from jury service for certain crime

victims or close relatives of deceased crime victims.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 62.106(a), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) A person qualified to serve as a petit juror may

establish an exemption from jury service if the person:

(1) is over 75 years of age;

(2) has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years

of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the

child without adequate supervision;

(3) is a student of a public or private secondary

school;

(4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an

institution of higher education;

(5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the

house of representatives, or any department, commission, board,

office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state

government;

(6) is summoned for service in a county with a

population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan

under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section

62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a petit

juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date

the person is to appear for jury service;

(7) is the primary caretaker of a person who is unable

to care for himself or herself;

(8) except as provided by Subsection (b), is summoned

for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and

the person has served as a petit juror in the county during the

three-year period preceding the date the person is to appear for

jury service; [ or ]

(9) is a member of the United States military forces

serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the

person's home station and out of the person's county of residence ;

or

(10) is a victim or close relative of a deceased victim

of a crime, as those terms are defined by Article 56A.001, Code of

Criminal Procedure, who testified in a court proceeding relating to

the offense of which the person or the person's deceased close

relative was a victim .

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to an exemption from jury service for a person who is summoned to

appear for service on or after the effective date of this Act. An

exemption from jury service for a person who is summoned to appear

for service before the effective date of this Act is covered by the

law in effect when the person was summoned, and that law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.