BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 849
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 849 (Garcia) - As Introduced: February 21, 2013
Policy Committee:
JudiciaryVote:10-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill extends to victims of elder or dependent adult abuse
the address confidentiality protections of the Safe at Home
program.
FISCAL EFFECT
The Secretary of State (SOS), which administers the Safe at Home
program, indicates that in 2012, there were 76,000 confirmed or
inconclusive cases of elder and dependent adult abuse. Any of
the victims in these cases could apply to the program. If only
1% did so, the SOS will incur GF costs of around $160,000 in the
first year and $140,000 annually thereafter for two positions to
review applications, process and forward mail, recruit volunteer
intake agencies specializing in elder abuse issues, and train
existing volunteer agencies to address the new program
population.
COMMENTS
1)Background . SB 489 (Alpert)/Chapter 1005 of 1998 established
the "Safe at Home" program, which was created to protect
victims of domestic violence from the disclosure of address
information. This program allows victims of domestic violence
and other specified crimes, who satisfy certain criteria, to
request an alternate address. The SOS provides a substitute,
publically accessible address for these victims while
protecting their actual residences or locations. The SOS also
acts as the program participants' agent for service of process
and forwards mail received to the victim's actual address. A
program participant, once certified, may remain in the program
AB 849
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for up to four years, after which re-certification is
required.
Subsequent legislation has expanded the program several times:
in 2000 to include victims of stalking; in 2002 to include
reproductive health care services providers, employers,
volunteers and patients; and in 2006 to include victims of
sexual abuse. The SOS indicates 3,067 individuals are
currently in the program.
2)Purpose . According to the author, "there are cases in which an
abused elder has moved to a new address to escape a persistent
abuser and wants to keep the abuser from finding him or her.
In other cases, a conservator may need to move an elder or
dependent adult to new housing or an assisted living facility
following a history of physical, emotional, and/or financial
abuse by a caregiver or other person, and want to ensure the
confidentiality of the new address. In such cases,
eligibility to participate in the "Safe at Home" program would
give the abused elders and dependent adults the added
protection of the address confidentiality program to help keep
them safe from their abusers."
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081