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SB 196 - Jury Lists - use of cert. lists of county citizens

Hill, Jack (4th)	Jackson, Carol (50th)

Status Summary	SC:	Judy	HC:	Judy	FR:	02/22/99	LA:	04/28/99	Signed by Governor

First Reader Summary

A bill to amend Code Section 15-12-40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to compilation, maintenance, and revision of jury lists, so as to authorize the use of or reference to certain lists and compilations of citizens of the county.

Code Sections - 15-12-40.2

SB 196 99                                            SB196/AP 
 
      SENATE BILL 196 
 
      By:  Senators Hill of the 4th and Jackson of the 50th 
 
 
                        A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 
                               AN ACT 
 
 
  1- 1  To amend Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 15 of the Official 
  1- 2  Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the selection of 
  1- 3  jurors, so as to specify additional sources which shall be 
  1- 4  used in carrying out revisions of jury lists on and after a 
  1- 5  specified date; to provide for state and local officials to 
  1- 6  make available lists of persons in the county holding 
  1- 7  drivers' licenses or identification cards issued by the 
  1- 8  Department of Public Safety; to establish procedures for the 
  1- 9  removal from the jury list of certain persons who are 
  1-10  ineligible for jury duty because such persons have been 
  1-11  convicted of a felony or declared mentally incompetent and 
  1-12  whose voting rights have not been restored; to provide for 
  1-13  other matters relative to the foregoing; to repeal 
  1-14  conflicting laws; and for other purposes. 
 
  1-15       BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: 
 
  1-16                           SECTION 1. 
 
  1-17  Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 15 of the Official Code of 
  1-18  Georgia Annotated, relating to the selection of jurors, is 
  1-19  amended in Code Section 15-12-40, relating to compilation, 
  1-20  maintenance, and revision of jury lists, by striking 
  1-21  paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and inserting in its place a 
  1-22  new paragraph to read as follows: 
 
  1-23      "(1) At least biennially, unless otherwise directed by 
  1-24      the chief judge of the superior court, the board of jury 
  1-25      commissioners shall compile, maintain, and revise a 
  1-26      trial jury list of upright and intelligent citizens of 
  1-27      the county to serve as trial jurors and a grand jury 
  1-28      list of the most experienced, intelligent, and upright 
  1-29      citizens of the county to serve as grand jurors. In 
  1-30      composing the trial jury list, the board of jury 
  1-31      commissioners shall select a fairly representative cross 
  1-32      section of the intelligent and upright citizens of the 
  1-33      county. In composing the grand jury list, the board of 
  1-34      jury commissioners shall select a fairly representative 
  1-35      cross section of the most experienced, intelligent, and 
 
 
                                 -1- 
 
 
 
  2- 1      upright citizens of the county. In carrying out 
  2- 2      revisions of the trial jury list and grand jury list on 
  2- 3      or after July 1, 2000, the board of jury commissioners 
  2- 4      shall make use of all of the following: 
 
  2- 5        (A) A list of all residents of the county who are the 
  2- 6        holders of drivers' licenses or personal 
  2- 7        identification cards issued by the Georgia Department 
  2- 8        of Public Safety pursuant to the provisions of Article 
  2- 9        5 of Chapter 5 of Title 40; and the Department of 
  2-10        Public Safety shall periodically make such a list 
  2-11        available to the board of jury commissioners of each 
  2-12        county; 
 
  2-13        (B) The registered voters list in the county; and 
 
  2-14        (C) Any other list of persons resident in the county 
  2-15        as may be deemed appropriate by the board of jury 
  2-16        commissioners. 
 
  2-17      No jury list compiled prior to July 1, 2000, shall be 
  2-18      rendered invalid by a failure to make use of the sources 
  2-19      specified in this Code section; but each revision of the 
  2-20      jury list on or after that date shall make use of all 
  2-21      such sources to the extent actually available to the 
  2-22      board of jury commissioners." 
 
  2-23                           SECTION 2. 
 
  2-24  Said article is further amended by adding between Code 
  2-25  Section 15-12-40.1 and 15-12-41 a new Code Section 
  2-26  15-12-40.2 to read as follows: 
 
  2-27    "15-12-40.2. 
 
  2-28    It shall be the duty of the county board of registrars to 
  2-29    provide the board of jury commissioners with a copy of the 
  2-30    lists  of persons who have been convicted of felonies in 
  2-31    state or federal courts or who have been declared mentally 
  2-32    incompetent and whose voting rights have been removed, 
  2-33    which lists are provided to the county board of registrars 
  2-34    by the Secretary of State pursuant to Code Section 
  2-35    21-2-231.  Upon receipt of such list, it shall be the duty 
  2-36    of the board of jury commissioners to remove such names 
  2-37    from the trial and grand jury lists and to mail a notice 
  2-38    of such action and the reason therefor to the last known 
  2-39    address of such persons by first-class mail." 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -2- 
 
 
 
  3- 1                           SECTION 3. 
 
  3- 2  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are 
  3- 3  repealed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -3-