SB163: SB163 Brady Law Regulations; standards for bringing an action against the government for an unauthorized act relating to regulation of weapons; revise

This bill replaces the original text of SB 163 with a House committee substitute that rewrites Georgia's criminal discovery rules (O.C.G.A. Title 17, Chapter 16), the rules on subpoena service to law enforcement (O.C.G.A. § 24-13-24), and the law letting certain voters keep their address confidential (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225.1). It sets specific deadlines, generally 30 days after arraignment and no later than 30 days before trial, for prosecutors and defendants to exchange documents, witness lists, and expert reports. It adds detailed new requirements for disclosing expert witnesses' opinions, qualifications, and testing data, and allows courts to exclude undisclosed expert evidence. It requires courts and prosecutors to notify defendants of indictments and accusations within five days. It lets law enforcement agencies designate specific staff to receive subpoenas instead of individual officers, and adds active law enforcement officers to the list of voters who may request a confidential home address. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, and apply to motions, hearings, or trials starting on or after that date.

• Sets new deadlines requiring prosecutors to turn over evidence, witness statements, and expert reports within 30 days of arraignment and no later than 30 days before trial in most felony cases.
• Creates detailed disclosure rules for expert witnesses, including their opinions, technical data, qualifications, and past testimony, with exclusion of undisclosed expert evidence as a penalty.
• Requires the state to mail or email a copy of an indictment or accusation to a defendant and their attorney within five days of filing, unless arraignment is already scheduled.
• Lets law enforcement agencies designate specific staff members to accept subpoenas on behalf of officers, rather than requiring service on each individual officer.
• Adds active law enforcement officers to the categories of registered voters who can ask a county board of registrars to keep their home address confidential.
• Updates a cross reference in the law governing the Division of Forensic Sciences at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to match the renumbered discovery rules.

Criminal defendants and their attorneys, prosecuting attorneys and district attorney's offices, judges handling pretrial motions, expert witnesses (including forensic scientists at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation), law enforcement officers and support staff who may be subpoenaed, and county boards of registrars that process voter confidentiality requests.

Georgians involved in the criminal justice system, whether as defendants, victims, or witnesses, would see firmer timelines for when evidence and expert reports must be shared before trial, which affects how well-prepared both sides are. Law enforcement officers would gain new protections around subpoena service and voter address privacy.

• Section 3 changes the deadline for filing pretrial motions to 30 days after the state complies with discovery obligations, rather than a flat ten days after arraignment.
• Section 4 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 17-16-4 to require prosecutors and defendants to exchange documents, statements, and criminal history records within 30 days of arraignment and no later than 30 days before trial.
• Section 4 also adds a detailed expert witness disclosure list (opinions, technical notes, peer review documents, qualifications, and prior expert testimony) and allows courts to exclude expert evidence not properly disclosed.
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225.1 to add active law enforcement officers, verified by Peace Officer Standards and Training certification or employer documentation, to those eligible for confidential voter addresses.
• Section 7 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 24-13-24 to let law enforcement units designate specific individuals to receive subpoenas instead of requiring direct service on each officer.
• Section 8 corrects a cross-reference in O.C.G.A. § 35-3-151 concerning the Division of Forensic Sciences' discovery testing responsibilities.
• Section 9 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to motions, hearings, or trials that begin on or after that date.

1. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-03-25House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
3. 2025-03-11House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-10House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2025-03-06Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-02-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-02-26Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Colton Moore (R, SD-053)Primary sponsor
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-021)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   33 yea, 23 nay

   Adoption Of Amend #1a By Sen From The 56th To Amend #1 By Sen From The 44th: Senate Vote #181

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   33 yea, 23 nay

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #182

• criminal discovery rules
• expert witness disclosure
• law enforcement privacy
• voter address confidentiality
• subpoena service