Bill > HB1936

This bill modifies Missouri's jury service excusal rules by lowering the age at which individuals can automatically be excused from jury duty from seventy-five to seventy years old. The bill maintains existing provisions that allow people to be excused from jury service under specific circumstances, such as having recently served on a jury, being a nursing mother, experiencing potential significant workplace disruption, facing undue physical or financial hardship, being a healthcare provider actively treating patients, or having religious employment constraints that prohibit jury service. The bill provides detailed guidelines for how individuals can request excusal, including requirements for documentation and judicial review. Specifically, to be excused for hardship, individuals must demonstrate that jury service would require abandoning a dependent, cause substantial financial strain, or result in potential illness. The bill emphasizes that workplace absence alone is not sufficient grounds for excusal. Importantly, most excusals are temporary, with individuals becoming eligible to serve again after two years, unless a judge determines the grounds for excusal are permanent. The overall intent appears to be maintaining a fair and flexible jury selection process while providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with compelling circumstances.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1936&year=2026&code=R