SENATE BILL 98066
BY SENATORS Wells, Bishop, Congrove, Dennis, Hernandez, Hopper, Johnson, Lamborn, Linkhart, Martinez, Mutzebaugh, Norton, Pascoe, Perlmutter, Rupert, Schroeder, Thiebaut, and Wham;
also REPRESENTATIVES Kreutz, Hefley, Keller, Lawrence,
Leyba, Takis, Udall, and S. Williams.
CONCERNING SERVICE OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AS
JURORS IN COURT CASES.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State
of Colorado:
SECTION 1. 1371104,
Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
1371104. Eligibility for
juror service prohibition of discrimination.
(1) Juror service is a duty that every qualified person
shall perform when selected.
(2) All trial and grand jurors shall be
selected at random from a fair cross section of the population
of the area served by the court. All selected and summoned jurors
shall serve, except as otherwise provided in this article.
(3) (a) No person shall be exempted
or excluded from serving as a trial or grand juror because of
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, economic status,
or occupation.
(b) Physically
impaired persons shall serve, except where the court finds that
such service is not feasible. A
PERSON WITH A DISABILITY SHALL SERVE, EXCEPT WHERE THE COURT
FINDS THAT SUCH PERSON'S DISABILITY PREVENTS THE PERSON FROM PERFORMING
THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A JUROR. BEFORE DISMISSING
A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY ON THE BASIS OF THAT PERSON'S DISABILITY,
THE COURT SHALL INTERVIEW THE PERSON TO DETERMINE THE REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATIONS, IF ANY, CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL AND STATE LAW,
THAT THE COURT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE TO PERMIT THE PERSON TO PERFORM
THE DUTIES OF A JUROR.
(4) The court shall strictly enforce the
provisions of this article.
SECTION 2. Safety
clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and
declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation
of the public peace, health, and safety.
____________________________ ____________________________
Tom Norton Charles E. Berry
PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES
____________________________ ____________________________
Patricia K. Dicks Judith M. Rodrigue
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APPROVED________________________________________
_________________________________________
Roy Romer
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE
OF COLORADO