Allow child witness testify remotely in situations deemed traumatic by judge
HB 3338, now law as Chapter 52 of the 2025 Regular Session, allows child witnesses to testify remotely in court proceedings when a judge determines in-person testimony would be traumatic for them. This directly affects minors involved in sensitive cases, such as abuse or violence, by providing an alternative to testifying in the courtroom. The key provision gives judges the authority to decide if remote testimony is necessary for the child's well-being, without requiring a separate motion. The bill does not change existing procedures for adult witnesses or alter the legal standards for admissibility of testimony.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Jul 2025
Introduced Mar 13, 2025
Signed Jul 31, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
Committee Substitute
→
Engrossed Committee Substitute
·
1 edit
·
Apr 11, 2025
MINOR
This bill updates the official versions of House Bill 3338 to reflect its final committee substitute status and adds a period to the end of the bill's summary description. The substantive legal text regarding child witness testimony remains unchanged, with only a minor punctuation adjustment in the summary section.
TECHNICAL
Added a period to the end of the bill's summary description to correct the sentence structure.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 11, 2025 · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025
How they voted
33–0
Passed
Total votes 33
Apr 11, 2025
D
Democratic2
100% Yea
R
Republican31
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
35
Key actions
7
Committee
7
Apr 28, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/28/2025
lower
Apr 12, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - Senate Journal
upper
Apr 12, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - House Journal
lower
Apr 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 497)
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Committee
On second reading, rereferred to Judiciary
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Committee
Without recommendation, but first rereferred to Judiciary
upper
Mar 25, 2025
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
Mar 25, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 176)
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
By substitute, do pass
lower
Mar 13, 2025
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Mar 13, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Mar 13, 2025
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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