BILL NUMBER: AB 1270	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torrico

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2009

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


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1270, as introduced, Torrico. Victims 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.
   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.  For purposes of meeting the requirements of Section
13958 for the timely processing of applications, the board shall do
both of the following:
   (a) Adopt written procedures and timeframes for approving or
denying application.
   (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.