I wanted to pass along some information about new efforts to pass family and
breastfeeding-friendly jury duty legislation around the U.S. The Mass. bill
would postpone service for parents with children under age 10 (!) and the
Maryland bill would postpone service for mothers breastfeeding a child under the
age of 2.
In my state of Michigan, we are trying to get a bill passed that would permit
parents and guardians of children under the age of 4 who care for their
children at least 20 hours during normal business hours Monday through Friday the
option to postpone jury service.
There is lots more information about nationwide efforts to pass family
friendly legislation on http://www.familyfriendlyjuryduty.org. Please take a look
and pass it on to any colleagues you may know in other states. The more
publicity the efforts get nationwide, the better a chance every state has to pass
legislation.
Also, if you or someone you know has had a difficult time getting a
postponement from service to care for a child or an elderly relative, especially a
breastfeeding mother, please have them send the story to the Family Friendly Jury
Duty web site, for inclusion in the "Hall of Shame". The more cases of abuse
of discretion we can document publicly, the more the need for this kind of
legislation will be understood.
Pam Pilch, J.D., LCCE
Call to action for Maryland Senate Bill 150!
A hearing was held on SB 150 (legislation being proposed which would require
a judge to excuse from jury service a mother who is breast-feeding a child
under the age of 2 years) on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. in the
Judicial Proceedings Committee Room.
Results from the hearing will be posted on this site as soon as they are
available.
What this initiative (Senate Bill 150) is about:
SB 150, which excuses from jury duty any mother breastfeeding a child younger
than two, has been filed for the 2004 Regular Session of Maryland’s General
Assembly.
Under current Maryland law, a breastfeeding mother may be excused from jury
duty only at the judge’s discretion and only for the period of time the judge
deems necessary.
To see further details about Senate Bill 150, click here.
History of this legislation: This bill was filed by Senator Robert J.
Hooper- R, Harford County, at the request of Maryland constituent, Cathy Smith.
Co-sponsors are:
· Senator John C. Astle
· Senator Richard F. Colburn
· Senator Janet Greenip
· Senator Nancy Jacobs
· Senator Gloria Lawlah
A similar measure was considered in 2003, sponsored by Sen. Hooper, along
with co-sponsors, Sen. Nancy Jacobs and Sen. Gloria Lawlah, but it never made it
out of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, despite the majority of committee
members that supported it. Commenting on the necessity of such an initiative,
Sen. Nancy Jacobs said, “Obviously, everyone here knows the difficulty it
would cause to bring a child into the courtroom. You can’t really keep on a
schedule when you’re breast-feeding a child. It’s on demand.” A lobbyist for the
American Academy of Pediatrics, Minor Carter, explained that more new mothers
are breast-feeding their children as they learn more about its benefits. “
Breast-feeding is a very healthful thing to do,” he told the committee at last
year’s hearing. “We think this is a good bill.”
How can you help:
If you would like to help enact this worthwhile, compassionate legislation,
please contact:
· Senator Robert J. Hooper, sponsor of SB 150 and tell him you
support the bill.
· Brian E. Frosh, the House Judiciary Committee Chair, ask him to
support SB 150
Tel: (410) 841-3124, (301) 858-3124
· All Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee members, ask for their
support of SB 150
· Your Maryland Senator Ask him/her to endorse SB 150
If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact:
Catherine Smith
1600 Cynthia Court
Jarrettsville, MD 21084
Tel: 410-692-2932
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Call to action for Massachusetts Senate Bill 2225!
What this initiative (Senate Bill 2225) is about:
SB 2225, AN ACT EXEMPTING CERTAIN PERSONS FROM JURY DUTY , would allow "Such
person (who) has custody of and is solely responsible for the daily
supervision of a child under the age of 10" the option to claim disqualification from
Jury Duty service in a Massachusetts State Court. Senate Bill 2225 has been
filed for the 2003-2004 Session of Massachusetts’ General Assembly. To see
further details about Senate Bill 2225 click here.
Currently, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that a stay-at-home
parent serve Jury Duty in a State Court without regard to whether or not
alternative childcare is available for that family. Many stay-at-home parents do not
have immediate access to full-time childcare that is safe, affordable, and
adequate. This presents an awful predicament for both the
parent and the children involved.
A stay-at-home parent who does have access to alternative childcare would, of
course, still be allowed to serve on Jury Duty. But for those stay-at-home
parents who do not have access to appropriate childcare, this law would allow
them to postpone Jury Duty service until their children are older.
Those of us who are stay-at-home parents certainly understand and respect our
civic duty to our state and country to serve on Jury Duty. And we look
forward to fulfilling this duty for many years to come. But we need to ask that
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acknowledges our duty to the safety and
well-being of our young children first.
How can you help:
If you would like to help enact this worthwhile, compassionate legislation,
please contact:
· Senator Steven Panagiotakos, sponsor of SB 2225,and tell him you
support the bill.
· Your Massachusetts Senator Ask him/her to endorse SB 2225
If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact:
Elizabeth S. Bridge
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