SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 1 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SENATE FLOOR VERSION April 9, 2024 ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL NO. 3777 By: Duel, Davis, and Lowe (Jason) of the House and Howard of the Senate An Act relating to criminal procedure; specifying requirements for issuing criminal subpoenas; requiring witnesses to attend trials or hearings upon service of subpoenas; allowing court clerks and attorneys to issue subpoenas; directing issuers of subpoenas to avoid imposing undue burden or expense on persons subject to subpoenas; requiring courts to enforce said duty; providing for sanctions; allowing courts to quash or modify subpoenas under certain circumstances; declaring subpoenas separate and distinct from certain rights or obligations; amending 22 O.S. 2021, Section s 708, 710, 712, 715 and 716, which relate to the service and issuance of subpoenas; updating statutory reference s and form requirements; providing guidelines and requirements for issuing subpoenas requesting the production of documents or inspecti on of premises; allowing for the nonappearance of persons unless commanded to appear; authorizing service of written objection s to subpoenas; establishing time period for submitting written objections; providing procedures for serving written objections; allowing parties to move for orders to compel production; providing requirements for producing documents; providing guidelines for claims of privilege or protection of trial preparation materials; clarifying processes for serving subpoenas in person and by mail; modifying exemption to subpoena requirem ent for court clerks; clarifying criminal contempt penalty provision; providing for codification; and providing an effective date. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 2 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 707.1 of Title 22, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. A subpoena issued on behalf of or by a defendant to a law enforcement agency may command the production of the foll owing law enforcement records: 1. Body camera videos; 2. Vehicle mounted camera videos; 3. Traffic camera videos; and 4. Law enforcement incident reports. B. A law enforcement agency may charge a record copying fee of not more than One Dollar ($1. 00) per page and a video copying fee of not more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) per video when complying with the requests of the subpoena. SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 707.2 of Title 22, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. Every subpoena issued on behalf of or by a defendant shall state the name of the court from which it is issued and the title of the action. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 3 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 B. A witness shall be obli gated upon service of a subpoena to attend a trial or hearing at any place within the state. C. The court clerk shall issue a subpoena, or a subpoena for the production of documentary evidence, signed and sealed but otherwise in blank, to a party requesti ng it, who shall complete the subpoena before service. As an officer of the court, an attorney authorized to practice law in this state may also issue and sign a subpoena on behalf of a court in this state. SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 707. 3 of Title 22, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A party or an attorney responsible for the issuance and service of a subpoena shall take reasonable steps to avoid imposing undue burden or expense on a person subject to that subpoena. The court on behalf of which the subpoena w as issued shall enforce this duty and impose upon the party or attorney, or both, in breach of this duty an appropriate sancti on, which may include, but is not limited to, lost earnings and a reasonable attorney fee. SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 707. 4 of Title 22, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. On timely motion, the court by which a subpoena was issued shall quash or modify the su bpoena if it: 1. Fails to allow reasonable time for compliance; SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 4 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. Requires a person to travel to a place beyond the limits of the county where the person resides or is served with the subpoena; 3. Requires disclosure of privileged or other protected matter and no exception or waiver applies ; 4. Subjects a person to undue burden ; or 5. Requires production of books, papers, d ocuments, or tangible things that fall outside the scope of discovery permitted by Section 3226 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statut es. B. If a subpoena: 1. Requires disclosure of a trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial in formation; or 2. Requires disclosure of the opinion of an unretained expert or information not describing specific events or occurrences in dispute and resulting from the study by the expert made not at the request of any party, the court may, to protect a person subject to or affected by the subpoena, quash or modify the subpoena. However, if the party in whose behalf the subpoena is issued shows a substantial need for the testimony or material that cannot be otherwise met without undue hardship and assu res that the person to whom the subpoena is addressed will be reasonably compensated, the court may order appearance or production only upon specified conditions. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 5 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 707. 5 of Title 22, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: Subpoenas issued in accordance with the provisions of Sections 707.1 through 707.3, 708, 710 and 712 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall be considered separate and distinct from any right or obligation provided for in Section 2002 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes. SECTION 6. AMENDATORY 22 O.S. 2021, Section 708, is amended to read as follows: Section 708. A subpoena, authorized by the last four sections provisions of Sections 704, 705, 706, 707 , and 707.1 of this title, must be substantially in the following form: IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA. To ......... , Greeting: You are commanded to appear before C. D., a justice of the peace of ........ at ....... (or the grand jury of the county County of ......... or the district court of ......... county County, or other location as the case may be specified), on the ........ (stating day and hour), and remain in attendance on and call of said ........ from day to day and term to term until lawfully discharged, as a witness in a criminal action prosecuted by SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 6 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 the State of Oklahoma against E. F. (or to testify as the case may be). SECTION 7. AMENDATORY 22 O.S. 2021, Section 710, is amended to read as follows: Section 710. A. If the books, papers or documents be required, a direction to the following effect must be continued in the subpoena: And you are required also to bring with you th e following: (Describe intelligently the books, papers or documents required). B. A copy of any subpoena that commands production of documents and things or inspection of premises before trial shall be served on each party in the manner prescribed by subs ection B of Section 2005 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes. If the subpoena commands production of documents and things or inspection of premises from a nonparty before trial but does not require attendance of a witness, the subpoena shall specify a da te and location for the production or inspection that is at least seven (7) days after the date that the subpoena and copies of th e subpoena are served on the witness and all parties, and the subpoena shall include the following language: "In order to allow objections to the production of documents and things to be filed, you should not produce them until the date specified in this subpoena, and if an objection is filed, until the court rules on the objection. " SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 7 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 C. A person commanded to produce and permit i nspection, copying, testing or sampling of designated books, papers, documents, electronically stored information or tangible thin gs, or inspection of premises need not appear in person at the place of production or inspection unless commanded to appear fo r deposition, hearing , or trial. D. Subject to subsection F of this section, a person commanded to produce and permit inspection, copying, testing or sampling , or any party may, within fourteen (14) days after service of the subpoena or before the time sp ecified for compliance if such time is less than fourteen (14) days after service, serve written objection to inspection, copying, testing, or sampling of any or all of the designated materials or of the premises, or to producing electronically stored info rmation in the form or forms requested. An objection that all or a portion of the requested material will or should be withheld on a claim that it is privileged or subject to protection as trial preparation materials shall be made within this time period and in accordance with subsection s E and F of this section. If the objection is made by the witness, the witness shall serve the objection on all parties; if objection is made by a party, the party shall serve the objection on the witness and all other parties. If objection is made, the party serving the subpoena shall not be entitled to inspect, copy, test , or sample the materials or inspect the premises except pursuant to an order of the court by SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 8 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 which the subpoena was issued. For failure to object in a timely fashion, the court may assess reasonable costs and attorney fees or take any other action it deems proper; however, a pri vilege or the protection for trial preparation materials shall not be waived solely for a failure to timely object under this section. If objection has been made, the party serving the subpoena may, upon notice to the person commanded to produce, move at any time for an order to compel the production. Such an order to compel production shall protect any person who is not a part y or an officer of a party from significant expense resulting from the inspection and copying commanded. E. 1. A person respondi ng to a subpoena to produce documents shall produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or shall organize an d label them to correspond with the categories in the demand. 2. If a subpoena does not specify the form or forms for producing electronically stored information, a person responding to a subpoena shall produce the information in a form or forms in which the person ordinarily maintains it or in a form or forms that are reasonably usable. 3. A person responding to a subpoena is not required to produce the same electronically stored information in more than one form. 4. A person responding to a subpoena is not required to provide discovery of electronically stored information from sources that the SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 9 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 person identifies as not reasonably accessible because of undue burden or cost. If such showing is made, the court may order discovery from such sources if the r equesting party shows good cause, considering the limitations of subparagraph c of paragraph 2 of subsection B of Section 3226 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The court may specify conditions for the discovery. F. 1. When information subject to a subpoena is withheld on a claim that it is privileged or subject to protection as trial preparation materials, the claim shall be made expressly and shall be supported by a description of the nature of the documents, communications, or things not produced that is sufficient to enable the demanding party to contest the claim. 2. If information is produced in response to a subpoena th at is subject to a claim or privilege or of protection as trial preparation material, the person making the claim may notify a ny party that received the information of the claim and the basis for such claim. After being notified, a party shall promptly return, sequester, or destroy the specified information and any copies the party has and may not use or disclose the information until the claim is resolved. A receiving party may promptly present the information to the court under seal for a determination of the claim. If the receiving party disclosed the information before being notified, such party shall take reasonable steps to retrieve the information. The person who produced the information shall SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 10 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 preserve the information until the claim is resolved. This mechanism is procedural only and does not alter the standards governing whether the information is privileged or subject to protection as trial preparation material or whether such privilege or protection has been waived. SECTION 8. AMENDATORY 22 O.S. 2021, Section 712, is amended to read as follows: Section 712. A. Service of subpoenas for witnesses in criminal actions in the district courts of this state a subpoena upon a person named therein shall be made in the same manner as in civil actions pursuant to Section 2004.1 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes by delivering or mailing a copy thereo f to such person and, if the attendance of the person is demanded, by tendering to that person the fees for one (1) day of attenda nce and the mileage allowed by law. Service of a subpoena may be accomplished by any person who is eighteen (18) years of age or older. B. Service of a subpoena by mail may be accomplished by mailing a copy thereof by certified mail with return receipt requested and delivery restricted to the person named in the subpoena. The person serving the subpoena shall make proof of ser vice thereof to the court promptly, and in any event, before the witness is required to testify at the hearing or trial. If service is made by a person other than a peace officer, such person shall make affidavit thereof. If service is by mail, the perso n serving the subpoena SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 11 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 shall show in the proof of service the date and place of mailing and attach a copy of the return receipt showing that the mailing was accepted. Failure to make proof of service does not affect the validity of the service, but servic e of a subpoena by mail shall not be effective if the mailing was not accepted by the person named in the subpoena. The cost costs of service of subpoenas shall be borne by the parties unless otherwise ordered by the court allowed whether service is made by a peace officer or any other person . SECTION 9. AMENDATORY 22 O.S. 2021, Section 715, is amended to read as follows: Section 715. A. No person is obliged to attend as a witness before a court or magistrate outside the county where the witness resides or is served with a subpoena, unless the judge of the court in which the offense is triable, upon an aff idavit of the district attorney, or of the defendant or the defendant 's counsel, stating that he or she believes that the evid ence and attendance of the witness is material and necessary, shall endorse on the subpoena an order for the attendance of the witness. B. The court clerks of this state shall not be subject to subpoena in matters relating to court records unless the court makes a specific finding that the appearance and testimony of the court clerk are both material and necessary because of a writt en objection to the introduction of certified documents court records made by the defendant or other party prior to trial. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3777 SFLR Page 12 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SECTION 10. AMENDATORY 22 O.S. 2021, Section 716, is amended to read as follows: Section 716. Disobedience or failure by any person without adequate excuse to obey a subpoena served upon himself or herself , or a refusal to be sworn o r to testify, may be punished by the court or magistrate, as for deemed a criminal contempt, in the manner provided in civil proce dure of the court from which the subpoena was issued. SECTION 11. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY April 9, 2024 - DO PASS