---
type: "Bill"
title: "Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony"
description: "Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 534"
citation: "Maryland SB 534 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Carter", "Hettleman", "Smith", "Washington"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 12
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2020-01-30"
last_action: "2020-05-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e71dc731-7e4e-400a-9bdf-409758d52059"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0534?ys=2020RS&search=True"
source_hash: "557f4d808254eef128f7ea70a8fee37ee3a2d1ab718355fe0198ea6e1a9bef9c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-md"]
---

# Maryland SB 534 (2020) — Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Chapter - Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/Chapters_noln/CH_281_sb0534t.pdf)
2. **First - Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0534f.pdf)
3. **Third - Courts - Discovery - In-Custody Witness Testimony** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0534t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **133–0** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading — **47–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Carter — primary (person)
- Hettleman — primary (person)
- Smith — primary (person)
- Washington — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-30** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-30** Hearing 2/19 at 12:00 p.m.
- **2020-03-09** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-10** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-10** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2020-03-12** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-12** Referred Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-16** Favorable Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-16** Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-17** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-17** Returned Passed
- **2020-05-08** Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 281 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e71dc731-7e4e-400a-9bdf-409758d52059`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).