HB 1143 -- Jury Duty

Sponsor:  Pratt

This bill makes several changes to the laws regarding jury duty.
In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Removes attorneys from the list of persons disqualified from
serving as jurors;

(2)  Requires verifying documentation from a physician for
persons to be disqualified for mental or physical illness or
infirmity;

(3)  Removes clergymen, doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors,
dentists, and pharmacists from the list of persons who may be
excused from serving as jurors;

(4)  Increases from one to two years the time within which prior
jury duty service will qualify a person to be excused from
current jury duty service;

(5)  Allows a person to be excused from jury duty service after a
judicial determination that it would impose an undue or extreme
physical or financial hardship and defines those circumstances.
Currently, that basis is that jury duty would impose an extreme
hardship.  Written documentation to support the hardship claimed
must be provided by the person seeking the determination;

(6)  Allows prospective jurors a one-time automatic postponement
of their jury service start date under certain conditions;

(7)  Changes the penalty for failure to appear for jury duty from
criminal contempt with up to a $250 fine to civil contempt with
up to a $500 fine and community service;

(8)  Establishes the Lengthy Trial Fund to provide additional
compensation to jurors serving more than 10 days to be funded by
a $20 fee collected in certain civil case filings.
Administration and implementation of the fund are set out; and

(9)  Prohibits employers from requiring employees to use annual,
vacation, personal, or sick leave for time spent responding to a
jury duty summons, participating in jury selection, or serving on
a jury.

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:14 am