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Committee approves amendment and sends bill to floor to expand forensic exam reimbursements to domestic violence victims
Summary
The Appropriations — Human Resources Division adopted an amendment and gave a due-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 2209, which would expand reimbursement and the window for forensic medical exams to include domestic violence and extend the collection period from 96 to 120 hours; the bill includes a $200,000 appropriation for reimbursements.
The Appropriations - Human Resources Division on Thursday adopted an amendment and gave a due-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 2209, which would expand state reimbursements for acute forensic medical examinations to include domestic violence and increase the time window for evidence collection from 96 hours to 120 hours.
Senator Chad Cleary, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the legislation codifies a pilot program for acute forensic medical examinations and adds domestic violence as an eligible reason for examinations so evidence can be gathered when an alleged crime is reported. Cleary said the bill includes a $200,000 appropriation to reimburse providers for exam services and that the committee should adopt a corrected amendment to make clear the money supplements existing Attorney General appropriations for forensic exams.
The measure would not change the appropriation amount, Cleary said, but would change language in the engrossed version to clarify reimbursements — not a grant program — and to make clear the funds are added on top of existing monies. Levi, a committee staff member, explained the policy committee voted for a version of the amendment but the report mistakenly attached a different text; the 2001 amendment the committee adopted at this hearing restores the intended language.
Christie Wolf, communications coordinator for Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners, testified that national best practices from the U.S. Department of Justice and updated state guidance support extending the evidence-collection window to 120 hours. "120 hours is kind of the standard," Wolf said, noting some evidence types (for example, bruising visible in follow-up photography) may appear or be more apparent several days after an assault. Tisha Shire, executive director of Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners, told the committee the pilot launched in February 2024 and that her program served 62 individuals across 10 counties during the pilot period the group reviewed; she provided an age breakdown from their data and said some exams were performed in intensive care when injuries were severe.
Committee members asked for basic utilization data and cost estimates. Wolf said providers expect reimbursement rates of either $100 or $450 per exam under the program and estimated the $200,000 appropriation represents a conservative projection based on pilot volumes and an expectation of higher utilization when domestic violence and child-abuse exams are reimbursable. She said the provider organizations will continue to perform exams even if the appropriation is exhausted, but they may absorb costs or delay reimbursement until a future appropriation is available.
The committee first voted by voice to adopt Amendment 02001 (moved by Senator Cleary, seconded by Senator Mather). After adoption, Cleary moved the bill "for a due pass as amended." The clerk then called the roll on the motion; senators who responded in the roll call recorded as voting yes included Senator Clary, Senator Davison, Senator Deaver, Senator Magrum and Senator Mattern. The chair announced the motion carried and the bill will be sent forward for consideration by the full committee.
The bill’s language clarifies reimbursements are available for forensic medical examinations when performed for criminal conduct, alleged sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and child neglect. The amendment adopted corrects the appropriation wording so the $200,000 is treated as operating funds added to current Attorney General reimbursements rather than a standalone grant program.
The hearing record includes support testimony from Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners and confirmation from committee staff that prior policy committee votes intended the text the committee adopted. No formal opposition testimony was recorded during the hearing.
The committee did not specify an effective date in the discussion; the bill moves next to the full committee and then to the floor subject to the legislature’s normal scheduling.
