SB0977sam001 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

Filed: 3/17/2014

09800SB0977sam001 LRB098 05218 HEP 56613 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 977

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 977 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Jury Act is amended by changing Section 2 as follows:

(705 ILCS 305/2) (from Ch. 78, par. 2)

Sec. 2. At the September meeting of the county board in each year in the respective counties in this State, except those that have jury commissioners, the board shall select from the list the number of persons as the judges of the circuit courts, to be held in the county during the succeeding year, may by joint action determine to serve as petit jurors. In counties having jury commissioners, the persons to serve as petit jurors shall be selected by the jury commissioners, as provided by law. County boards, a jury administrator, and jury commissioners may utilize the services of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts in making these selections. Jurors in all counties in Illinois must have the legal qualifications herein prescribed. Jurors must be:

(1) Inhabitants of the county.

(2) Of the age of 18 years or upwards.

(3) Free from all legal exception, of fair character, of approved integrity, of sound judgment, well informed, and able to understand the English language, whether in spoken or written form, or interpreted into sign language, or, if English is not the juror's predominant language, interpreted or translated into the juror's predominant language.

(4) Citizens of the United States of America.

(Source: P.A. 90-482, eff. 1-1-98.)

Section 10. The Jury Secrecy Act is amended by changing Section 1 as follows:

(705 ILCS 315/1) (from Ch. 78, par. 36)

Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), whoever knowingly and wilfully, by any device or means whatsoever records or attempts to record, the proceedings of a petit jury in any court of the State of Illinois while the jury is deliberating or voting, or listens to or observes, or attempts to listen to or observe, the proceedings of any petit jury of which he is not a member in any court of the State of Illinois while the jury is deliberating or voting, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. However, if any juror is deaf or hard of hearing or any juror's predominant language is not English, the juror may be accompanied by and may communicate with a court appointed interpreter throughout any period during which the jury is sequestered or engaged in its deliberations. If the jury foreman reasonably believes that the interpreter is doing more than interpreting, nothing in this Act shall prevent him or her from petitioning the court and requesting that the interpreter be replaced with another interpreter.

(b) A petit juror in any court of the State of Illinois shall be entitled to take notes in connection with and solely for the purpose of assisting him in the performance of his duties as juror, and the sheriff of the county in which such juror is serving shall provide writing materials for that purpose. Such notes shall remain confidential, and shall be destroyed by the sheriff after the verdict has been returned or a mistrial declared.

(Source: P.A. 88-27.)".