BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1270|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1270
Author: Torrico (D)
Amended: 7/13/09 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/9/09
AYES: Leno, Benoit, Cedillo, Hancock, Huff, Steinberg,
Wright
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/14/09 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Victims compensation: procedure
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Victim Compensation and
Government Claims Board (VCGCB) to: (1) adopt written
procedures and timeframes for approving or denying
applications for reimbursement; and (2) institute specified
procedures for communicating with specified entities, such
as law enforcement and medical providers, when verifying
claims for reimbursement.
Senate Floor Amendments of 7/13/09 direct the Chief
Information Officer (CIO), in accordance with existing
statutes, to approve expenditures exceeding $5,000 for new
technology used to evaluate victims' claims. The
CONTINUED
AB 1270
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amendments also require the VCGCB to inform the CIO of
changes to technology systems used by the VCGCB to review
claims. The CIO may take appropriate action to review and
evaluate the proposed changes.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides that crime victims and
derivative victims, as defined, may be awarded compensation
by the VCGCB from the State Restitution Fund, a
continuously appropriated fund, for the pecuniary losses
they suffer as a direct result of criminal acts. The VCGCB
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 requires the VCGCB, for the 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.
This bill requires that the CIO approve the expenditure of
more than $5,000 by the VCGCB on or after January 1, 2010,
with regard to any technology system that is utilized for
the review of applications.
The bill requires the VCGCB to inform the CIO of any
proposed changes to the technology systems utilized to
review applications in accordance with existing law. The
CIO may take appropriate action, as necessary, to review
and evaluate those proposed changes.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/14/09)
Crime Victims United of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office:
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In December 2008, the State Auditor listed several
recommendations to improve the Victims Compensation
and Governmental Claims Program. One recommendation
was to develop written procedures for managing the
workload at the VCGCB as well as to develop a
comprehensive plan for priorities.
In June 2008, the VCGCB began processing claims
exclusively through a new system, the Compensation and
Restitution System (CaRES).
This bill will make it easier for victim's to file and
receive claims with the VCGCB by requiring for the
VCGCB to have written procedures and time frames in
place.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill,
Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,
Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuller, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall,
Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Silva, Skinner,
Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ammiano, Fuentes, Gaines, Garrick,
Saldana, Smyth, Bass
RJG:nl 7/14/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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