Date: 03/12/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-047

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer Senate Bill 09-047 to the Committee of the WPASS



05:32 PM -- Senate Bill 09-047

Representative Roberts, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-047 concerning the oversight of crime victim services and creating the Crime Victim Services Advisory Board and repealing the Victims Compensation and Assistance Coordinating Committee and the Victims Assistance and Law Enforcement (VALE) Advisory Board. This bill creates the Crime Victim Services Advisory Board in the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), Department of Pubic Safety. The bill specifies criteria for each of 17 members of the board, as well as their terms of service. The board's powers and duties include, but are not limited to:

All records submitted to or generated by the board are confidential and any victim-identifying information must be redacted from documents released to the public (i.e., noncompliance reports).

The bill repeals certain crime-victim-related boards and committees, and it removes specifications in existing law regarding which entities may apply for grants to provide services to crime victims. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2009.

This bill combines several existing crime-victim-related boards into a single advisory board. The consolidation will streamline the process of applying for funding for crime victims by reducing the number of entities to which applicants must submit documentation. The DCJ currently provides staff support to various boards and committees and providing the same support to a single board will not substantially change the level of resources utilized by the department. This bill is assessed as having no fiscal impact.

05:35 PM --
Nancy Feldman, DCJ, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Feldman provided a short overview of crime victims assistance in Colorado, including various boards, funds, and federal grants. She stated that three different boards disperse victims funds and there is a lot of duplication among the various funds. The DCJ looked around the country to find best practices and determined that consolidation would be beneficial to Colorado. The new board will be made up of currently-serving members of the three other boards, so experience and continuity will not be an issue.

05:38 PM --
Steve Siegel, Colorado Organization for Victims Assistance, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Siegel indicated that agencies around the state support the idea of forming a clear and concise method for applying state and federal dollars to agencies who provide victims assistance services and supports.

05:39 PM --
Dan Brennan, Wheatridge Police Department, spoke in support of the bill. Chief Brennan is the vice chair of the state VALE advisory board and believes the bill will increase efficiency and effectiveness.

05:42 PM

Representative Roberts wrapped up her presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.

BILL:SB09-047
TIME: 05:42:20 PM
MOVED:Roberts
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 09-047 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:Waller
VOTE
Apuan
Yes
Court
Yes
Gardner B.
Yes
King
Yes
Miklosi
Yes
Pace
Yes
Roberts
Yes
Ryden
Yes
Waller
Yes
McCann
Yes
Levy
Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS