Report Title:

Jury Duty; Exemptions

Description:

Repeals the jury service exemptions, except for jurors who are elected officials during the legislative session, judges, active practicing physicians, members of the armed forces or militia deployed out of state, active members of a police or fire department, and jurors who served within the last year. Adds jury service exemptions for active members of an emergency medical services agency, persons who live more than 70 miles from the court for which jury service is required, and persons who are 80 or older. (HB386 CD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

386

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1


C.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO COURTS.

 

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

SECTION 1. Section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§612-6 Exempt when. [(a) No person shall be authorized to claim an exemption from service as a juror in the courts of the first circuit from January 1, 1989, through December 31, 1990, and in the courts of all circuits, other than the first circuit from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1991.

(b) From January 1, 1991, for the courts of the first circuit, and from January 1, 1992, for all other circuits of the State, a] A person may claim exemption from service as a juror if the person is:

[(1) An attorney at law;

(2) A head of an executive department, an]

(1) An elected official[,] while the legislature is in session, or a judge[,] of the United States, State, or county;

[(3) A minister or priest following the minister's or priest's profession;

(4) A] (2) An active practicing physician [or dentist];

[(5)] (3) A member of the armed forces or militia when on active service [, or an] and deployed out-of-state;

(4) An active member of a police or fire department;

[(6)] (5) A person who has served as a juror, either in a court of this State or the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, within one year preceding the time of filling out the juror qualification form[.];

(6) An active member of an emergency medical services agency;

(7) A person living more than seventy miles from the court for which jury service is required; or

(8) A person eighty years of age or older.

For purposes of this section, "emergency medical services agency" means any government agency, private agency, or company that provides ambulance services, emergency medical services, or disaster medical services."

SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.