This bill would make several changes to the compensation of crime victims as described below:

Section 1: Allows compensation to be given to a victim of international terrorism committed outside the United States.

Section 2: Regarding compensable losses, includes modification to a victim’s residence to ensure safety, deletes the limits applicable solely to property damage and increases the limit in both normal and catastrophic circumstances.

Section 3: Specifies that under the emergency compensation section awards are intended to assist in the short-term needs of crime victim’s. Also increases the limit on emergency compensation.

Section 4: Increases the percentage that district attorney’s may receive for administrative costs from the compensation fund.

Section 5: Provides compensation funds not distributed during the fiscal year to be redistributed on a proportional basis to each judicial district.

STATE FISCAL IMPACT SUMMARY	FY 1998/99	FY 1999/2000
State Revenues General Fund Other Fund
State Expenditures General Fund Other Fund
FTE Position Change
Impact to Local Crime Victim Compensation Funds-- See Local section below.

This fiscal note assumes there would be an impact on the local Crime Victim Compensation Board expenditures. The Crime Victim Compensation Board receives applications from victims and awards compensation drawn from the Crime Victim Compensation Fund. This fund is comprised of fees collected from convicted criminal offenders and is used for the compensation of victims and administrative costs. The bill would allow the District Attorney’s to receive an increase of four percent to cover administrative costs. Additionally, the amount that may be awarded to crime victims for compensable losses would also be increased under this legislation. Currently, the Compensation Fund has adequate resources to cover these proposed expenditure increases, thus no fee increases are needed.

This fiscal note would imply that no additional spending authority or appropriations are required to implement the provisions of the bill for FY 1998-99.