Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB677 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0677
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 677
8	8	E2 5lr0994
9	9	CF SB 298
10	10	By: Delegates Toles, Kaufman, Lehman, Schmidt, Taylor, and Woods
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Criminal Procedure – Out of Court Statements – Vulnerable Adult Victims and 2
19	19	Witnesses 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing the court to admit into evidence in certain criminal 4
22	22	proceedings certain out of court statements made by a vulnerable adult victim or 5
23	23	witness under certain circumstances and subject to certain requirements; and 6
24	24	generally relating to the admissibility of out of court statements of vulnerable adult 7
25	25	victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Criminal Procedure 10
29	29	Section 11–305 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Criminal Procedure 16
37	37
38	38	11–305. 17
39	39
40	40	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 18
41	41	INDICATED. 19
42	42
43	43	(2) “STATEMENT” MEANS: 20
44	44
45	45	(I) AN ORAL OR WRITTEN A SSERTION; OR 21
46	46	2 HOUSE BILL 677
47	47
48	48
49	49	(II) NONVERBAL CONDUCT IN TENDED AS AN ASSERTI ON, 1
50	50	INCLUDING SOUNDS, GESTURES, DEMONSTRATIONS , DRAWINGS, AND SIMILAR 2
51	51	ACTIONS. 3
52	52
53	53	(3) “VULNERABLE ADULT ” MEANS: 4
54	54
55	55	(I) AN ADULT WHO LACKS T HE PHYSICAL OR MENTA L CAPACITY 5
56	56	TO PROVIDE FOR THE A DULT’S DAILY NEEDS; OR 6
57	57
58	58	(II) A PERSON WHO IS AT L EAST 68 YEARS OF AGE. 7
59	59
60	60	(B) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 8
61	61	COURT MAY ADMIT INTO EVIDENCE IN A CRIMIN AL PROCEEDING AN OUT OF COURT 9
62	62	STATEMENT MADE BY A VULNERABLE ADULT VIC TIM OR WITNESS TO PR OVE THE 10
63	63	TRUTH OF THE MATTER ASSERTED IN THE STAT EMENT MADE , UNLESS THE SOURCE 11
64	64	OF THE INFORMATION O R METHOD OR CIRCUMST ANCES BY WHICH THE S TATEMENT 12
65	65	IS REPORTED INDICATE S A LACK OF TRUSTWOR THINESS. 13
66	66
67	67	(2) A COURT SHALL HOLD AN EVALUATION HEARING T O DETERMINE 14
68	68	IF THE TIME, CONTENT, AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF AN OUT OF COURT ST ATEMENT 15
69	69	MADE BY A VULNERABLE ADULT VICTIM OR WITN ESS PROVIDES PARTICU LARIZED 16
70	70	GUARANTEES OF TRUSTW ORTHINESS IF THE OUT OF COURT STATEMENT C ONCERNS: 17
71	71
72	72	(I) ASSAULT OR RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT UNDER §§ 3–202 18
73	73	THROUGH 3–204 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; 19
74	74
75	75	(II) RAPE OR SEXUAL OFFENS ES UNDER §§ 3–303 THROUGH 20
76	76	3–308 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; 21
77	77
78	78	(III) ATTEMPTED RAPE UNDER § 3–309 OR § 3–310 OF THE 22
79	79	CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; 23
80	80
81	81	(IV) ABUSE OR NEGLECT OF A VULNERABLE ADULT I N THE FIRST 24
82	82	OR SECOND DEGREE UND ER § 3–604 OR § 3–605 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; 25
83	83
84	84	(V) THEFT UNDER § 7–104 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; 26
85	85
86	86	(VI) IDENTITY FRAUD UNDER § 8–301 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW 27
87	87	ARTICLE; 28
88	88
89	89	(VII) FINANCIAL CRIMES AGA INST A VULNERABLE AD ULT UNDER 29
90	90	§ 8–801 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE; OR 30
91	91	HOUSE BILL 677 3
92	92
93	93
94	94	(VIII) A CRIME OF VIOLENCE AS DEFINED IN § 14–101 OF THE 1
95	95	CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 2
96	96
97	97	(3) WHEN DETERMINING WHET HER AN OUT OF COURT STATEMENT BY 3
98	98	A VULNERABLE ADULT V ICTIM OR WITNESS PRO VIDES PARTICULARIZED 4
99	99	GUARANTEES OF TRUSTW ORTHINESS, THE COURT SHALL CONSIDER: 5
100	100
101	101	(I) THE VULNERABLE ADULT VICTIM’S OR WITNESS ’S 6
102	102	PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE O F THE EVENT; 7
103	103
104	104	(II) THE CERTAINTY THAT T HE STATEMENT WAS MAD E; 8
105	105
106	106	(III) THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE STATEMENT WAS MA DE AND TO 9
107	107	WHOM; 10
108	108
109	109	(IV) THE MENTAL AND PHYSI CAL AGE AND COGNITIVE ABILITY 11
110	110	OF THE VULNERABLE AD ULT VICTIM OR WITNES S; 12
111	111
112	112	(V) ANY APPARENT MOTIVE TO FABRICATE A STATE MENT OR 13
113	113	PARTIALITY EXHIBITED BY THE VULNERABLE AD ULT VICTIM OR WITNES S, 14
114	114	INCLUDING INTEREST , BIAS, CORRUPTION , OR COERCION ; 15
115	115
116	116	(VI) WHETHER THE STA TEMENT WAS SPONTANEO US OR 16
117	117	DIRECTLY RESPONSIVE TO QUESTIONS; 17
118	118
119	119	(VII) THE TIMING OF THE ST ATEMENT; 18
120	120
121	121	(VIII) THE NATURE AND DURAT ION OF ANY ABUSE OR NEGLECT; 19
122	122
123	123	(IX) THE INNER CONSISTENC Y AND COHERENCE OF T HE 20
124	124	STATEMENT; 21
125	125
126	126	(X) WHETHER THE VULNERAB LE ADULT VICTIM OR WITNESS 22
127	127	WAS SUFFERING PAIN O R DISTRESS WHEN MAKI NG THE STATEMENT ; 23
128	128
129	129	(XI) WHETHER EXTRINSIC EV IDENCE EXISTS TO SHO W THE 24
130	130	DEFENDANT HAD AN OPP ORTUNITY TO COMMIT T HE ACT COMPLAINED OF IN THE 25
131	131	VULNERABLE ADULT VIC TIM’S OR WITNESS’S STATEMENT; 26
132	132
133	133	(XII) WHETHER THE STATEMEN T WAS SUGGESTED BY T HE USE OF 27
134	134	LEADING QUESTIONS ; AND 28
135	135	4 HOUSE BILL 677
136	136
137	137
138	138	(XIII) THE CREDIBILITY OF T HE PERSON TESTIFYING ABOUT THE 1
139	139	STATEMENT. 2
140	140
141	141	(C) UNDER THIS SECTION , AN OUT OF COURT STAT EMENT BY A 3
142	142	VULNERABLE ADULT VIC TIM OR WITNESS MAY C OME INTO EVIDENCE IN A CRIM INAL 4
143	143	PROCEEDING TO PROVE THE TRUTH OF THE MAT TER ASSERTED IN THE STATEMENT 5
144	144	IF: 6
145	145
146	146	(1) THE STATEMENT IS NOT ADMISSIBLE UNDER ANY OTHER HEARSAY 7
147	147	EXCEPTION; AND 8
148	148
149	149	(2) THE VULNERABLE ADULT VICTIM OR WITNESS TE STIFIES AT THE 9
150	150	EVALUATION HEARING. 10
151	151
152	152	(D) TO PROVIDE THE DEFEND ANT WITH AN OPPORTUN ITY TO PREPARE A 11
153	153	RESPONSE TO A STATEM ENT BY A VULNERABLE ADULT VICTIM OR WITN ESS, THE 12
154	154	STATE SHALL SERVE ON THE DEFENDANT AND TH E ATTORNEY FOR THE 13
155	155	DEFENDANT , WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME BEFORE THE COUR T PROCEEDING AND 14
156	156	AT LEAST 20 DAYS BEFORE THE CRIM INAL PROCEEDING IN W HICH THE STATEMENT 15
157	157	IS TO BE OFFERED INT O EVIDENCE, NOTICE OF: 16
158	158
159	159	(1) THE STATE’S INTENTION TO INTRO DUCE THE STATEMENT ; 17
160	160
161	161	(2) ANY AUDIO OR VISUAL RECORDING OF THE STA TEMENT; AND 18
162	162
163	163	(3) IF AN AUDIO OR A VISUAL RECORDING OF THE STA TEMENT IS NOT 19
164	164	AVAILABLE, THE CONTENT OF THE S TATEMENT. 20
165	165
166	166	(E) TESTIMONY BY A VULNER ABLE ADULT VICTIM OR WITNESS SHALL BE 21
167	167	ADMISSIBLE BY REMOTE ELECTRONIC PARTICIPA TION IN ACCORDANCE W ITH 22
168	168	MARYLAND RULES 21–101 THROUGH 21–301. 23
169	169
170	170	(F) THE COURT SHALL STATE ON THE RECORD SPECIF IC FINDINGS OF FACT 24
171	171	SUPPORTING ITS RULIN GS UNDER THIS SECTIO N. 25
172	172
173	173	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 26
174	174	October 1, 2025. 27
175	175