---
title: HB 525. Criminal procedure; discovery in misdemeanor cases; change provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb525
cite_as: HB 525, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb525
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb525.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb525/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70505
date: 2025-02-21
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb525.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 525
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-19
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Joseph Gullett
  - Tyler Smith
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB525/2025
upstream_id: 1976342
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - criminal procedure
  - misdemeanor discovery
  - witness disclosure
  - alibi defense
  - court rules
---

# HB 525. Criminal procedure; discovery in misdemeanor cases; change provisions

## Text

House Bill 525
By: Representatives Gullett of the 19th and Smith of the 18th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 16 of Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
discovery, so as to change provisions relating to discovery in misdemeanor cases; to provide
for reciprocal discovery on behalf of the accused; to require the accused to provide a list of
witness and alibi information to the prosecuting attorney; to provide for procedures; to
provide for a penalty for noncompliance; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 16 of Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to discovery, is
amended by revising Article 2, relating to discovery in misdemeanor cases, as follows:
"ARTICLE 2
17-16-20.
(a) The provisions of this article shall apply <del>only</del> to misdemeanor cases <del>or to felony cases
docketed, indicted, or in which an accusation was returned prior to January 1, 1995, if the
</del>
<del>prosecuting attorney and the defendant do not agree in writing that the provisions of
Article 1 of this chapter shall apply</del> <ins>when at or prior to arraignment, or at such time the
court permits, the defendant provides written notice to the prosecuting attorney that such
defendant elects to have this article apply to the defendant's case. When one defendant in
a multidefendant case demands discovery under this article, the provisions of this article
shall apply to all defendants in the case unless a severance is granted.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section, this article shall not apply
to juvenile court proceedings.
(c) This article shall be deemed to have been automatically invoked without the written
notice provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section when a defendant has sought
discovery pursuant to Chapter 11 of Title 9, the 'Georgia Civil Practice Act,' pursuant to
Part 8 of Article 6 of Chapter 11 of Title 15, or pursuant to the Uniform Rules for the
Juvenile Courts of Georgia, provided that such discovery material is the same as the
discovery material that may be provided under this article when a written notice is filed
pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section.
(d) This article is not intended to authorize discovery or inspection of attorney work
product.
</ins> 17-16-21.
(a) Prior to <ins>or at</ins> arraignment, <del>every person charged with a criminal offense</del> <ins>the defendant
</ins> shall be furnished with a copy of the indictment or accusation <del>and, on demand, with a list
of the witnesses on whose testimony the charge against such person is founded. Without
the consent of the defendant, no witness shall be permitted to testify for the state whose
name does not appear on the list of witnesses as furnished to the defendant unless the
prosecuting attorney shall state that the evidence sought to be presented is newly
discovered evidence which the state was not aware of at the time of its furnishing the
defendant with a list of the witnesses.
</del>
<ins>(b) If the defendant elects to have this article apply, the prosecuting attorney, no later than
ten days before trial or as otherwise ordered by the court, shall provide the defendant with
a list of witnesses that the state intends to call as witnesses at trial. Such list shall include
the names, addresses and current locations, dates of birth, and telephone numbers of the
state's witnesses, unless for good cause the court allows an exception to this requirement,
in which event the defendant shall be afforded an opportunity to interview such witnesses
prior to the witnesses being called to testify. If the witness is a law enforcement officer,
the prosecuting attorney shall furnish the defendant with such officer's current work
location and work phone number.
(c) Within ten days after the prosecuting attorney provides a list of witnesses, but no later
than five days prior to trial, or as otherwise ordered by the court, the defendant shall furnish
the prosecuting attorney with a list of witnesses that the defendant intends to call at trial.
Such list shall include the names, addresses and current locations, dates of birth and
telephone numbers of the defendant's witnesses, unless for good cause the court allows an
exception to this requirement, in which event the prosecuting attorney shall be afforded an
opportunity to interview such witnesses prior to the witnesses being called to testify.
(d) If prior to or during trial the prosecuting attorney or defendant learns of additional
witnesses whose identity, if known, should have been included in the information furnished
pursuant to this Code section, the discovering party shall promptly notify the other party
of the existence and identity of such additional witnesses.
(e) The prosecuting attorney or defendant may call as a witness any individual listed on
either witness list.
</ins> <del>(b)(f)</del> Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to require any person charged with
a criminal offense to be furnished the home address, date of birth, or home telephone
number of a witness who is a law enforcement officer or a nonsworn employee of a law
enforcement agency. Instead, in such cases, such person shall be furnished with the current
work location and work phone number of the law enforcement officer or nonsworn
employee of a law enforcement agency.
<ins>(c)(g)</ins> Any formerly employed or retired law enforcement officer or nonsworn employee
of a law enforcement agency may use the address and phone number of the last agency
where he or she was employed as his or her contact information for purposes of this Code
section. Use of this subsection by an officer or employee shall constitute a waiver of any
claim by such officer or employee as to any defect of service or notice of hearing if the
service or notice was provided to the designated law enforcement agency and shall impose
an affirmative obligation on such officer or employee to keep current his or her personal
address and phone number information with such agency.
17-16-22.
(a) <ins>If the defendant elects to have this article apply, the prosecuting attorney shall, at</ins> <del>At
</del> least ten days prior to the trial of the case, <ins>disclose to</ins> the defendant <del>shall be entitled to have
</del> a copy of any statement given by the defendant while in police custody. <del>The defendant
may make such request for a copy of any such statement, in writing, within any reasonable
period of time prior to trial.
</del> (b) If the defendant's statement is oral or partially oral, the <del>prosecution</del> <ins>prosecuting
</ins> attorney shall furnish, in writing, all relevant and material portions of the defendant's
statement.
(c) <ins>If the defendant elects to have this article apply, the prosecuting attorney shall, at least
ten days prior to the trial of the case, make available for inspection or copying by the
defendant copies of the police incident report and all supplemental police reports, if any,
regarding the occurrence which forms the basis of the charges.</ins> <del>Failure of the prosecution
to comply with a defendant's timely written request for a copy of such defendant's
statement, whether written or oral, shall result in such statement being excluded and
suppressed from the prosecution's use in its case-in-chief or in rebuttal.
</del>
<del>(d) If the defendant's statement is oral, no relevant and material, incriminating or
inculpatory, portion of the statement of the defendant may be used against the defendant
unless is has been previously furnished to the defendant, if a timely written request for a
copy of the statement has been made by the defendant.
</del> <ins>(c)(d)</ins> This Code section shall <del>not</del> apply to <del>evidence</del> <ins>information subject to disclosure
pursuant to this Code section which is</ins> discovered after a request has been filed. If a
request has been filed, such <del>evidence</del> <ins>information</ins> shall be produced as soon as possible
after it has been discovered.
17-16-23.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'written scientific reports' includes, but is not
limited to, reports from the Division of Forensic Sciences of the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation; an autopsy report by the coroner of a county or by a private pathologist;
blood alcohol test results done by a law enforcement agency or a private physician; and
similar types of reports that would be used as scientific evidence by the <del>prosecution in its
</del> <ins>prosecuting attorney in the prosecution's</ins> case-in-chief or in rebuttal against the defendant.
(b) <del>In all criminal trials the defendant shall be entitled to have</del> <ins>If the defendant elects to
have this article apply, the prosecuting attorney shall, at least ten days prior to trial of the
case, disclose to the defendant</ins> a complete copy of any written scientific reports in the
possession of the prosecution which will be introduced in whole or in part against the
defendant by the <del>prosecution in its</del> <ins>prosecuting attorney in the prosecution's</ins> case-in-chief
or in rebuttal. <del>The request for a copy of any written scientific reports shall be made by the
defendant in writing at arraignment or within any reasonable time prior to trial. If such
written request is not made at arraignment, it shall be within the sound discretion of the
trial judge to determine in each case what constitutes a reasonable time prior to trial. If the
scientific report is in the possession of or available to the prosecuting attorney, the
</del>
<del>prosecuting attorney must comply with this Code section at least ten days prior to the trial
of the case.
(c) Failure by the prosecution to furnish the defendant with a copy of any written scientific
report, when a proper and timely written demand has been made by the defendant, shall
result in such report being excluded and suppressed from evidence in the prosecution's
case-in-chief or in rebuttal.
</del> <ins>17-16-24.
If the defendant elects to have this article apply, the prosecuting attorney shall permit the
defendant at a time agreed to by the parties or ordered by the court to inspect and copy or
photograph books, papers, documents, photographs, tangible objects, or copies or portions
thereof and to inspect audio and visual tapes or copies or portions thereof that are within
the possession, custody, or control of the state or prosecution and are intended for use by
the prosecuting attorney as evidence in the prosecution's case-in-chief or rebuttal at the
trial.
17-16-25.
(a) If the defendant elects to have this article apply, when the prosecuting attorney
provides a discovery response that includes the time, date, and place at which the alleged
offense was committed, the defendant shall serve upon the prosecuting attorney, within ten
days of the discovery response from the prosecuting attorney or ten days prior to trial,
whichever is later or as ordered by the court, a written notice of the defendant's intention
to offer a defense of alibi. Such notice by the defendant shall state the specific place or
places at which the defendant claims to have been at the time of the alleged offense and the
names, addresses, dates of birth, and telephone numbers of the witnesses, if known to the
defendant, upon whom the defendant intends to rely to establish such alibi unless
previously supplied.
</ins>
<ins>(b) The prosecuting attorney shall serve upon the defendant within five days of the
defendant's written notice but no later than five days before trial, whichever is later, a
written notice stating the names, addresses, dates of birth, and telephone numbers of the
witnesses, if known to the state, upon whom the state intends to rely to rebut the
defendant's evidence of alibi unless previously supplied.
(c) If prior to or during trial a party learns of an additional witness whose identity, if
known, should have been included in the information furnished under subsection (a) or (b)
of this Code section, the party shall promptly notify the other party of the existence and
identity of such additional witness.
(d) Upon a showing that a disclosure required by this Code section would create a
substantial threat of physical or economic harm to a witness, the court may grant an
exception to any of the requirements of subsections (a) through ( c ) of this Code section.
(e) If the defendant withdraws the notice of intention to rely upon an alibi defense, the
notice and intention to rely upon an alibi defense are not admissible. However, the
prosecuting attorney may offer any other evidence regarding alibi.
17-16-26.
If at any time during the course of the proceedings it is brought to the attention of the court
that the state has failed to comply with the requirements of this article, the court may order
the state to permit the discovery or inspection, grant a continuance, or, upon a showing of
prejudice and bad faith, prohibit the state from introducing the evidence not disclosed or
presenting the witness not disclosed, or may enter such other order as it deems just under
the circumstances. If at any time during the course of the proceedings it is brought to the
attention of the court that the defendant has failed to comply with the requirements of this
article, the court may order the defendant to permit the discovery or inspection, interview
of the witness, grant a continuance, or, upon a showing of prejudice and bad faith, prohibit
the defendant from introducing the evidence not disclosed or presenting the witness not
</ins>
<ins>disclosed, or may enter such other order as it deems just under the circumstances. The
court may specify the time, place, and manner of making the discovery, inspection, and
interview and may prescribe such terms and conditions as are just.
17-16-27.
Nothing in this article shall supersede the prosecuting attorney's duty to disclose all
evidence, whether known or that which may become known to him or her, favorable to the
defendant and material either to verdict or punishment."
</ins> SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 525 would rewrite Georgia's discovery rules for misdemeanor criminal cases, requiring defendants who opt into discovery to share witness lists and alibi information with prosecutors in return.

### Plain-language summary

Currently, Georgia's misdemeanor discovery law lets a defendant request a list of the state's witnesses, but the defendant does not have to share similar information with the prosecution. This bill changes that by making discovery a two-way street. A defendant who wants discovery must formally elect it in writing before or at arraignment, and once elected, the rules apply to every defendant in a multidefendant case unless a severance is granted.

Once a defendant elects discovery, the prosecuting attorney must turn over a witness list, statements, police reports, and scientific reports at least ten days before trial. In exchange, the defendant must give the prosecutor a witness list and, if raising an alibi defense, disclose the alibi location and supporting witnesses on a set timetable. The bill also adds a new penalty section allowing courts to exclude evidence or witnesses, grant continuances, or issue other orders if either side fails to comply in bad faith. It preserves the prosecutor's separate duty to turn over favorable evidence to the defense.

### What it does

- Requires a defendant to make a written election before or at arraignment to have Georgia's misdemeanor discovery article apply, instead of discovery happening automatically on request.
- Creates reciprocal discovery by requiring defendants to give prosecutors a witness list, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers, once discovery is elected.
- Adds a new alibi notice requirement (new O.C.G.A. § 17-16-25) forcing defendants to disclose alibi locations and witnesses, with the state required to respond with rebuttal witnesses.
- Adds a new Code section (17-16-24) letting a defendant inspect and copy documents, photographs, tangible objects, and audio or visual recordings the prosecution plans to use at trial.
- Creates a penalty provision (17-16-26) letting courts order discovery, grant continuances, or exclude undisclosed evidence or witnesses if either the prosecution or the defense fails to comply in bad faith.
- Extends the multidefendant discovery election so that one defendant's request applies to all co-defendants unless the court grants a severance.

### Who it affects

People charged with misdemeanors in Georgia, defense attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, and law enforcement officers whose contact information may be disclosed as witnesses. County and municipal courts handling misdemeanor cases would apply the new procedures.

### Why it matters

Defendants would gain more structured access to police reports, statements, and scientific evidence, but in exchange they would have to disclose their own witnesses and any alibi defense ahead of trial. Failure to comply on either side could lead to excluded evidence, continuances, or other court sanctions.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 17-16-20 so the discovery article applies to misdemeanor cases once a defendant files written notice electing to use it, rather than automatically.
- O.C.G.A. § 17-16-21 requires the prosecuting attorney to disclose a witness list at least ten days before trial and requires the defendant to disclose a witness list within ten days after that, but no later than five days before trial.
- O.C.G.A. § 17-16-22 requires the state to disclose the defendant's statements and police incident reports at least ten days before trial once the defendant elects discovery.
- O.C.G.A. § 17-16-23 requires the state to disclose written scientific reports, such as GBI forensic and blood alcohol test results, at least ten days before trial.
- New O.C.G.A. § 17-16-24 gives the defendant the right to inspect and copy documents, photographs, tangible objects, and audio or video recordings the prosecution intends to use at trial.
- New O.C.G.A. § 17-16-25 creates an alibi notice procedure requiring the defendant to disclose alibi details and witnesses, with the state required to respond with rebuttal witness information.
- New O.C.G.A. § 17-16-26 lets courts sanction noncompliance by either the prosecution or the defense, including excluding evidence or witnesses upon a showing of bad faith and prejudice.
- New O.C.G.A. § 17-16-27 clarifies that the article does not override the prosecutor's separate duty to disclose evidence favorable to the defendant.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-19)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-21)
- Sponsors: Joseph Gullett, Tyler Smith
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70505

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb525.md?full=1