County swaps jury checks for pre-paid cards

COLORADO COUNTY — If you have been called to jury duty recently, you might have noticed a major change in how you receive your daily stipend: instead of the traditional paper check, you were likely handed a pre-paid debit card.

While it might seem like a simple tech upgrade, this shift is actually a strategic move by Texas counties to protect local taxpayer dollars and cut down on state-mandated paperwork.

For years, thousands of citizens performed their civic duty, received a small check for their time, and promptly tossed it into a drawer or a glove box, forgetting to ever cash it. Individually, a $10 or $20 check seems insignificant.