| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to excuse from jury service; amending s. |
| 3 | 40.013, F.S.; expanding parental eligibility to be excused |
| 4 | from jury service; including practicing psychologists in |
| 5 | the list of persons a judge is authorized to excuse from |
| 6 | jury service; providing an effective date. |
| 7 |
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| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
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| 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 |
| 14 | a 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, |
| 18 | excuse a practicing attorney, a practicing physician, a |
| 19 | practicing psychologist, or a person who is physically infirm |
| 20 | from jury service, except that no person shall be excused from |
| 21 | service on a civil trial jury solely on the basis that the |
| 22 | person is deaf or hearing impaired, if that person wishes to |
| 23 | serve, unless the presiding judge makes a finding that |
| 24 | consideration of the evidence to be presented requires auditory |
| 25 | discrimination or that the timely progression of the trial will |
| 26 | be considerably affected thereby. However, nothing in this |
| 27 | subsection shall affect a litigant's right to exercise a |
| 28 | peremptory challenge. |
| 29 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |