A bill in Florida would allow women who have recently given birth to be excused from jury duty

Attorney addresses jury — Jury by IPGGutenbergUKLtd via iStock for WMNF News.

A proposal that would allow women who have recently given birth to be excused from jury duty is ready for consideration by the full House after getting support Monday from a key committee.

The bill (HB 461), approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee, would apply to women who have given birth within six months of the reporting date on jury summonses.

It would require that they be excused from jury duty upon their request.

They would join other groups who must be granted excusal upon request, including people 70 years old or older and full-time students between 18 and 21 years old.

“Strong and healthy families should be at the heart of our state’s policymaking. With this bill, Florida will join ranks with other … states as politically diverse as California and Iowa in allowing new mothers to be excused from jury duty,” bill sponsor Carolina Amesty, R-Windermere, told the Judiciary Committee.

A similar Senate bill (SB 462) filed by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, received unanimous backing from the Senate Judiciary Committee last month.

Amesty’s bill does not need additional committee approvals, meaning it is ready to go to the full House.

The annual legislative session will start Tuesday.