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Rep. _________ (The
representative who will be sponsoring the new family friendly jury duty bill)
Michigan House of
Representatives
Post Office Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
Dear Representative __________ (the representative who will be sponsoring the new
family friendly jury duty bill)
I am writing in support of ‘family friendly jury duty’ for Michigan’s
families (future
House or Senate Bill ####). This legislation would allow at-home caregivers of babies and
young children (age to be determined by future bill) to defer jury service
until their children are older. I think this bill is important to the
well-being of many families in the State of Michigan.
{Add your own story here, if you wish}
This bill would relieve the burden of jury service on families who care for
their young children in the home during normal business hours. Not only
would this apply to full-time at-home mothers, but also to at-home fathers,
parents who work out of their homes, custodial grandparents, and parents who
work non-traditional hours (the late shift at a factory or a restaurant) in
order to be available during the day for their children.
When such a parent or
guardian is called for jury duty, safe, reliable, all-day child care is
rarely available on short notice and for an indeterminate period of time,
especially for babies and very young children. If available at all, the
cost is out of reach for most families, burdening lower income families the
most.
This bill would also relieve the economic cost to Michigan employers.
Employees relying on a spouse or other guardian to care for children in the
home must often take paid (or unpaid) leave if their spouses or caregivers
are required to report for jury duty.
Because the decision to defer jury service until the child attains the age
of ___ is optional, this bill does not exclude any particular class of
jurors from the pool. Some families will choose to serve in spite of the
option to defer.
Thank you for introducing this bill into the Michigan legislature. If
it passes, Michigan will join the majority of U.S. states that have, or are
considering, some form of family-friendly jury duty legislation. Please
convey my wholehearted support for its passage to the relevant legislative
committees and leaders of each chamber.
Sincerely,
{ your name, complete address, and phone number -- so your legislator knows
you’re in his/her district -- Very important! }
________________________________
cc:
· House Judiciary Committee
Chairman (if applicable)
· Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman (if applicable)
· Your Michigan state
representative and Michigan state senator
· Leaders of both chambers
(House and Senate)
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