BILL NUMBER: AB 1270	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JULY 13, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torrico

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2009

   An act to add Section 13958.5 to the Government Code, relating to
 victims  victim's  compensation.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1270, as amended, Torrico.  Victims  
Victim's  compensation: procedure.
   Existing law provides that crime victims and derivative victims,
as defined, may be awarded compensation by the California Victim
Compensation and Government Claims Board from the State Restitution
Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the pecuniary losses they
suffer as a direct result of criminal acts. The board is required to
approve or deny applications, based on recommendations of the board
staff, within an average of 90 calendar days and no later than 180
calendar days of acceptance by the board or victim center.
   This bill would require the board, for purposes of meeting the
requirement for the timely processing of applications, to adopt
written procedures and timeframes for approving or denying
applications and specified procedures for use in communicating with
entities when verifying the required information.  The bill would
  require the approval of the office of the State Chief
Information Officer for the expenditure of $5,000 or more by the
board on or after January 1, 2010, with regard to any technology
system that is utilized for the review of applications. The bill
would also require the board to inform the office State Chief of any
proposed changes to the technology systems utilized to review
applications and would authorize the office to take appropriate
action, as necessary, to review and evaluate those proposed changes.

   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 13958.5 is added to the Government Code, to
read:
   13958.5.   (a)    For purposes of meeting the
requirements of Section 13958 for the timely processing of
applications, the board shall do both of the following: 
   (a) 
    (1)  Adopt written procedures and timeframes for
approving or denying  application   applications
 .
   (2) Adopt specified procedures for board staff to use when
communicating with entities to verify the information required by
this article, including appropriate timeframes for seeking responses
and the number of attempts that should be made to achieve a response.

   (b) The office of the State Chief Information Officer, in
accordance with the policies, procedures, and requirements
established pursuant to Chapter 5.6 (commencing with Section 11545)
of Part 1, shall approve the expenditure of more than five thousand
dollars ($5,000) by the board on or after January 1, 2010, with
regard to any technology system that is utilized for the review of
applications in accordance with Section 13958.  
   (c) The board shall inform the office of the State Chief
Information Officer of any proposed changes to the technology systems
utilized to review applications in accordance with Section 13958.
The office of the State Chief Information Officer may take
appropriate action, as necessary, to review and evaluate those
proposed changes.