Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Judiciary Committee

SB 5591

Title:  An act relating to a jury duty exemption for sole caregivers.

Brief Description:  Providing a sole caregiver jury duty exemption.

Sponsors:  By Senators Zarelli, Kline, Costa, McCaslin and Kohl‑Welles.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Requires the court, under certain circumstances, to excuse a person from jury service if the person is the sole caregiver for a child or dependent person.

Hearing Date:  3/16/01

Staff:  Trudes Hutcheson (786‑7384).

Background: 

A person summoned by a court for jury duty is required to be available for up to one month to report for jury service.  The one-month on-call period is known as the "jury term."  During that one-month jury term, the person may be required to be present at the court facility for jury service.  Generally, the period for which a person is required to be present at the court facility may not extend beyond the end of the one-month jury term and may not exceed two weeks.

The language of the statute dealing with juries provides the court broad discretion to excuse a person from jury service.  A person may be excused from jury service if there is a showing of undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or any other reason deemed sufficient by the court.

Summary of Bill: 

Unless the public need outweighs the individual circumstances of the person summoned, the court must excuse a person from jury service if the person requests to be excused and the person:  (a) is the sole caregiver for a child or other dependent during the court's normal hours of operation; (b) is unable to afford day care or make other arrangements; and (c) personally attends to the dependent during the court's normal hours of operation.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.