BILL NUMBER: SB 551 CHAPTERED 09/25/01 CHAPTER 346 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 25, 2001 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 25, 2001 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 14, 2001 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 14, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 14, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 26, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 16, 2001 INTRODUCED BY Senator Machado (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cox, Dickerson, Leonard, La Suer, Leach, Steinberg, and Strickland) (Principal coauthors: Senators Alpert, McPherson, Polanco, and Vasconcellos) FEBRUARY 22, 2001 An act to add and repeal Sections 13961.6, 13965.6, 13965.7, and 13968.8 of the Government Code, relating to victims of crime, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 551, Machado. Victims of crime. Existing law provides for the indemnification of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes for specified expenses that become necessary as a direct result of the crime. Indemnification is made under these provisions from the Restitution Fund, which is continuously appropriated to the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board for these purposes. This bill would, until January 1, 2004, authorize the board to provide reimbursement up to a specified amount to county boards of supervisors for specified services provided as a result of specified crimes of terrorism, and authorize the board to expand the scope of assistance to specified derivative victims, to provide reimbursement for mental health services for members of California trauma or search and rescue teams, and to allocate a specified amount to the victim compensation program in the State of New York, as a result of the 4 terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. By authorizing new uses for a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Appropriation: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 13961.6 is added to the Government Code, to read: 13961.6. (a) The board may provide reimbursements, which cumulatively shall not exceed a total of two million five hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($2,575,000), to county boards of supervisors, upon their request, for either of the following purposes: (1) Providing group mental health counseling for those suffering trauma as a result of terrorism, as defined in Section 2332a or 2332b of Title 18 of the United States Code. (2) Providing technical assistance in the promotion of tolerance for individuals whose national origin or religion may be targets of discrimination as a result of terrorism as described in this subdivision. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2004, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2004, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 2. Section 13965.6 is added to the Government Code, to read: 13965.6. (a) The board may expand the scope of assistance to include derivative victims who incur a pecuniary loss as a direct result of any of the four terrorist attacks that occurred at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, as follows: (1) A California resident derivative victim, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 13960, when the victim has been injured or killed in a terrorist attack described in this section, regardless of whether or not the victim is or was a resident of the state. (2) A California resident grandparent or grandchild of a victim injured or killed in a terrorist attack described in this section, regardless of whether or not the victim is or was a resident of the state. (3) A California resident mother-in-law or father-in-law of a victim injured or killed in a terrorist attack described in this section, regardless of whether or not the victim is or was a resident of the state. (4) As determined by the board, any other California resident family member of a victim injured or killed in a terrorist attack described in this section, regardless of whether or not the victim is or was a resident of the state. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2004, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2004, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 3. Section 13968.7 is added to the Government Code, to read: 13968.7. (a) The board may provide reimbursement in an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) each, for the expense of mental health counseling for members of California trauma or search and rescue teams that were dispatched to the scene of any of the four terrorist attacks described in Section 13965.6. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2004, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2004, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 4. Section 13968.8 is added to the Government Code, to read: 13968.8. (a) The board may make a one-time allocation of one million dollars ($1,000,000) to the victim compensation program in the State of New York to aid that state in compensating victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that occurred on September 11, 2001. (b) The Legislature finds and declares that the provision of funds for victim compensation in the State of New York as described in subdivision (a) serves a public purpose and does not constitute a gift of public funds within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. (c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2004, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2004, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 5. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order that needed services may be provided in response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, at the earliest possible time, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.