KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the perks of making it past 70 years old should be the ability to opt out of jury duty.
That’s the goal of Rep. Jerome Barnes (D – 28th District, Kansas City).
Barnes is sponsoring the legislation that would allow seniors over the age of 70 that have been called for jury duty to be able to be excused just for being at least 70 years old.
Barnes says that while some seniors relish serving on a jury, the burdens of serving on a jury, especially one involved in a lengthy court case, might be too much for others.
“Many seniors want to serve on juries,” Barnes said in a release. “For some, it could be a highlight in their year. I’m not trying to stop them from serving. Aging is not easy for some, and we need to respect that.”
The bill, H.B. 317 passed out of the House Special Committee on Aging on Wednesday.
