Florida Senate - 2010                               CS for SB 86
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator Sobel
       
       
       
       
       590-01396-10                                            201086c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to excuse from jury service; amending
    3         s. 40.013, F.S.; expanding parental eligibility to be
    4         excused from jury service; authorizing a presiding
    5         judge to excuse a practicing psychologist from jury
    6         service; providing an effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 40.013,
   11  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   12         40.013 Persons disqualified or excused from jury service.—
   13         (4) Any expectant mother, any mother who is breastfeeding a
   14  child under 2 years of age, and any parent who is not employed
   15  full time and who has custody of a child under 6 years of age,
   16  upon request, shall be excused from jury service.
   17         (5) A presiding judge may, in his or her discretion, excuse
   18  a practicing attorney, a practicing physician, a practicing
   19  psychologist, or a person who is physically infirm from jury
   20  service, except that no person shall be excused from service on
   21  a civil trial jury solely on the basis that the person is deaf
   22  or hearing impaired, if that person wishes to serve, unless the
   23  presiding judge makes a finding that consideration of the
   24  evidence to be presented requires auditory discrimination or
   25  that the timely progression of the trial will be considerably
   26  affected thereby. However, nothing in this subsection shall
   27  affect a litigant’s right to exercise a peremptory challenge.
   28         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.