firefighters and police officers can skip jury duty

The text as introduced · 470 words

89R9115 JTZ-D

By: Hinojosa of Nueces
S.B. No. 1189

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the exemption of certain firefighters and police

officers from jury service.

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 ;

(10) is a firefighter, including a fire chief, who is

a permanent, paid employee of the fire department of a municipality

or county or of a special district or authority that provides

firefighting services; or

(11) is a police officer, including a police chief,

who is a permanent, paid employee of the police department of a

municipality or county .

SECTION 2. This Act applies only to a person summoned to

appear for jury service who is required to appear on or after the

effective date of this Act. A person summoned to appear for jury

service who is required to appear before the effective date of this

Act is governed by the law in effect immediately before the

effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in

effect for that purpose.

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