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Panel backs bill to create state reimbursement for sexual‑assault forensic exams using marijuana tax revenue
Summary
Senate Bill 4-91 would create a state fund to pay forensic medical exams for sexual assault victims and raise the maximum reimbursement; committee supporters said the change would relieve local law‑enforcement budgets and improve access, particularly in rural communities.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate Bill 4-91, a bill to create a single state reimbursement stream for sexual‑assault forensic exams and to raise the maximum reimbursement per exam from $600 to $800. Proponents told the committee that the current system leaves hospitals and small law‑enforcement agencies to shoulder costs, which has led some providers to suspend SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) programs in rural communities.
Why it matters: Witnesses described practical barriers for survivors in frontier and rural Montana: long travel distances to reach facilities with forensic nurses, clinics that have closed SANE programs because of workforce burnout and unstable reimbursement, and law‑enforcement agencies that risk budgets if they pay for uninsured exams.
Testimony and debate: The Office of Victim Services at the Montana Department of Justice supports the proposal and said the bill would formalize a central payment mechanism and modestly increase the per‑exam rate. Forensic nurses and hospital representatives testified about program closures in southeast Montana and the need for training, kits and sustained funding. Supporters proposed using unallocated marijuana tax revenue to seed the program.
Committee action and next steps: The committee voted to advance the bill. Members asked technical questions about the scope of covered exams, whether the fund would pay for kits, and how the proposal interacts with the existing Forensic Examination Payment Program (FREP). DOJ and the Office of Victim Services said the draft restricts the new fund to payment of exams and that kit procurement would remain under a different appropriation.
Ending: Supporters said the bill would reduce cost barriers for survivors and make community SANE programs more sustainable while acknowledging the new fund is one element of a broader strategy to rebuild SANE capacity across the state.
