PDH S.B. 136 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 136
By: Harris
Judicial Affairs
4-7-1999
Engrossed


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a proposed juror reports for jury service and is provided a form
letter that allows a juror to donate the juror's reimbursements to any one
of over 200 local child welfare boards.  Although the county is required to
provide the form letter, as a matter of procedure several counties do not
adequately inform prospective jurors of the form letter. 

S.B. 136 specifies that the counties hand deliver the form letter to
prospective jurors.  In addition, this bill requires the counties to
collect the prospective juror's form and process the form accordingly.
Furthermore, S.B. 136 requires a county to personally provide a juror with
a donation form letter, collect the form letter, and deposit the donation
into a child welfare fund. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 61.003, Government Code, to require each
prospective juror reporting for jury service to be personally provided a
form letter which, when signed, directs the juror's reimbursement to be
donated to the child welfare board of the county appointed under Section
264.005 (County Child Welfare Boards), Family Code, rather than a service
fund under the chapter. Requires the county treasurer or a designated
county employee to collect each form letter and to deposit any donations
made to the county child welfare board into a prescribed and authorized
county child welfare fund.  Adds new Subsection (b) and redesignates
existing Subsections (b) and (c) to Subsections (c) and (d). Makes
conforming changes. 

SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999.
  Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.