---
type: "Bill"
title: "Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness"
description: "Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 64"
citation: "Maryland SB 64 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lee"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 25
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2019-11-01"
last_action: "2020-05-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2e8b8dc7-8e46-41c2-86b0-6a34898f576c"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0064?ys=2020RS&search=True"
source_hash: "661ddb2646a0e131d4818dd057f0a0be4135e3b241283a5275d33ba8060b1a5f"
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 64 (2020) — Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/Chapters_noln/CH_608_sb0064e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0064e.pdf)
3. **First - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0064f.pdf)
4. **Third - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Causing Unavailability of Witness** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0064t.pdf)

## Votes

- (Emerg) — **130–0** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **44–1** (pass) · upper
- On third reading — **42–2** (pass) · upper
- Motion to suspend rules and allow 2 Rdgs on 1 Day — **127–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lee — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2019-11-01** Pre-filed `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** Hearing 1/15 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2020-01-09** Hearing canceled
- **2020-01-09** Hearing 1/16 at 3:00 p.m.
- **2020-03-02** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-03** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-03** Motion Laid Over (Senator Jennings) Adopted
- **2020-03-04** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-04** Motion Special Order until 3/5 (Senator Smith) Adopted
- **2020-03-05** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-05** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2020-03-09** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-10** Referred Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-12** Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2020-03-14** Hearing canceled
- **2020-03-15** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-16** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-16** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2020-03-16** Motion Rules Suspend Two Readings Same Day (Delegate Clippinger) Adopted
- **2020-03-16** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-17** Senate Concurs House Amendments
- **2020-03-17** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-17** Passed Enrolled
- **2020-05-08** Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 608 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2e8b8dc7-8e46-41c2-86b0-6a34898f576c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).