Senate Bill No. 580

Introduced by Senator Leno

February 22, 2013

An act to amend Section 13964 of, and to add Section 13963.1 to, the Government Code, relating to grants for trauma centers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 580, as introduced, Leno. Crime victims: trauma center grants.

The California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board administers a program to assist state residents to obtain compensation for their pecuniary losses suffered as a direct result of criminal acts. Payment is made under these provisions from the Restitution Fund, which is continuously appropriated to the board for these purposes.

This bill would authorize the board, as specified, to administer a program to award, upon appropriation by the Legislature, up to $2 million in grants, annually, to trauma centers, as defined.

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 13963.1 is added to the Government
Code, to read:

13963.1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) Without treatment, approximately 50 percent of people who
survive a traumatic, violent injury experience lasting or extended
psychological or social difficulties. Untreated psychological trauma
often has severe economic consequences, including overuse of
costly medical services, loss of income, failure to return to gainful
employment, loss of medical insurance, and loss of stable housing.

(2) Victims of crime should receive timely and effective mental
health treatment.

(3) The board shall administer a program to evaluate applications
and award grants to trauma recovery centers.

(b) The board shall only award a grant to a trauma center that
meets both of the following criteria:

(1) The trauma center demonstrates that it serves as a community
resource by providing services, including, but not limited to,
making presentations and providing training to law enforcement,
community-based agencies, and other health care providers on the
identification and effects of violent crime.

(2) Any other related criteria required by the board.

(c) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the board may award
grants totaling up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) per year. All
grants shall be funded only from the Restitution Fund.

(d) The board may award a grant providing funding for up to a
maximum period of three years. Any portion of a grant that a
trauma center does not use within the specified grant period shall
revert to the Restitution Fund. The board may award consecutive
grants to a trauma center to prevent a lapse in funding. The board
shall not award a trauma center more than one grant for any period
of time.

(e) (1) The board shall not receive, evaluate, or approve
applications for trauma recovery center grants in a fiscal year
unless the Restitution Fund is projected to have a year-end fund
reserve equal to, or greater than, the equivalent of 25 percent of
total budgeted expenditures for the fund, as projected in the January
budget proposed by the Governor pursuant to Section 12 of Article
IV of the California Constitution.

(2) Grants awarded to trauma recovery centers shall not result
in a year-end balance to the Restitution Fund of less than 25 percent
of total budgeted expenditures for the fund, as projected in the
January budget proposed by the Governor pursuant to Section 12
of Article IV of the California Constitution.

(f) The board, when considering grant applications, shall give
preference to a trauma center that conducts outreach to, and serves,
both of the following:

(1) Crime victims who typically are unable to access traditional
services, including, but not limited to, victims who are homeless,
chronically mentally ill, of diverse ethnicity, members of immigrant
and refugee groups, disabled, or who have severe trauma-related
symptoms or complex psychological issues.

(2) Victims of a wide range of crimes, including, but not limited
to, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, physical assault,
shooting, stabbing, and vehicular assault, and family members of
homicide victims.

(g) The trauma center sites shall be selected by the board through
a well-defined selection process that takes into account the rate of
crime and geographic distribution to serve the greatest number of
victims.

(h) A trauma center that is awarded a grant shall do both of the
following:

(1) Report to the board annually on how grant funds were spent,
how many clients were served (counting an individual client who
receives multiple services only once), units of service, staff
productivity, treatment outcomes, and patient flow throughout
both the clinical and evaluation components of service.

(2) In compliance with federal statutes and rules governing
federal matching funds for victims’ services, each center shall
submit any forms and data requested by the board to allow the
board to receive the 60 percent federal matching funds for eligible
victim services and allowable expenses.

(i) For purposes of this section, a “trauma center” provides,
including, but not limited to, all of the following resources,
treatment, and recovery services to crime victims:

(1) Mental health services.

(2) Assertive community-based outreach and clinical case
management.

(3) Coordination of care among medical and mental health care
providers, law enforcement agencies, and other social services.

(4) Services to family members and loved ones of homicide
victims.

(5) A multidisciplinary staff of clinicians that includes
psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers.

SEC. 2.  

Section 13964 of the Government Code is amended
to read:

13964.  

(a) Claims under this chapter shall be paid from the
Restitution Fund.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 13340, begin insert except for funds to support
trauma center grants pursuant to Section 13963.1, end insert the proceeds
in the Restitution Fund are hereby continuously appropriated to
the board, without regard to fiscal years, for the purposes of this
chapter. However, the funds appropriated pursuant to this section
for administrative costs of the board shall be subject to annual
review through the State Budget process.

(c) A sum not to exceed 15 percent of the amount appropriated
annually to pay claims pursuant to this chapter may be withdrawn
from the Restitution Fund, to be used as a revolving fund by the
board for the payment of emergency awards pursuant to Section
13961.