Bill Text: CT HB05266 | 2010 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning Jury Duty Qualification For Members Of The Armed Forces On Active Duty And Their Spouses.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-08 - Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Judiciary [HB05266 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2010-HB05266-Comm_Sub.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 5266
February Session, 2010		LCO No. 924
		*_____HB05266VA_JUD030310____*
Referred to Committee on Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Introduced by:
(VA)

AN ACT CONCERNING JURY DUTY QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ON ACTIVE DUTY AND THEIR SPOUSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 51-217 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2010):

(a) All jurors shall be electors, or citizens of the United States who are residents of this state having a permanent place of abode in this state and appear on the list compiled by the Jury Administrator under subsection (b) of section 51-222a, who have reached the age of eighteen. A person shall be disqualified to serve as a juror if such person (1) is found by a judge of the Superior Court to exhibit any quality which will impair the capacity of such person to serve as a juror, except that no person shall be disqualified on the basis of deafness or hearing impairment; (2) has been convicted of a felony within the past seven years or is a defendant in a pending felony case or is in the custody of the Commissioner of Correction; (3) is not able to speak and understand the English language; (4) is the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney General; (5) is a judge of the Probate Court, Superior Court, Appellate Court or Supreme Court, is a family support magistrate or is a federal court judge; (6) is a member of the General Assembly, provided such disqualification shall apply only while the General Assembly is in session; (7) is seventy years of age or older and chooses not to perform juror service; [or] (8) is incapable, by reason of a physical or mental disability, of rendering satisfactory juror service; (9) is a member of the armed forces on active duty; or (10) is the spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty and the parent or legal guardian of a child under sixteen years of age. Any person claiming a disqualification under subdivision (8) of this subsection must submit to the Jury Administrator a letter from a licensed physician stating the physician's opinion that such disability prevents the person from rendering satisfactory juror service. In reaching such opinion, the physician shall apply the following guideline: A person shall be capable of rendering satisfactory juror service if such person is able to perform a sedentary job requiring close attention for six hours per day, with short work breaks in the morning and afternoon sessions, for at least three consecutive business days.

(b) The Jury Administrator may determine, in such manner and at such times as the Jury Administrator deems feasible, whether any person is qualified to serve as juror under this section and whether any person may be excused for extreme hardship.

(c) The Jury Administrator shall have the authority to establish and maintain a list of persons to be excluded from the summoning process, which shall consist of (1) persons who are disqualified from serving on jury duty on a permanent basis due to a disability for which a licensed physician has submitted a letter stating the physician's opinion that such disability permanently prevents the person from rendering satisfactory jury service, (2) persons seventy years of age or older who have requested not to be summoned, (3) elected officials enumerated in subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of this section and judges enumerated in subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of this section during their term of office, and (4) persons excused from jury service pursuant to section 51-217a who have not requested to be summoned for jury service pursuant to said section. Persons requesting to be excluded pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection must provide the Jury Administrator with their names, addresses, dates of birth and federal Social Security numbers for use in matching. The request to be excluded may be rescinded at any time with written notice to the Jury Administrator.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	October 1, 2010	51-217

VA

Joint Favorable C/R

JUD