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Committee hears support for centralized funding to reimburse sexual-assault forensic exams
Summary
SB491 would use $375,000 in unallocated marijuana tax revenue to create a single-payer reimbursement system for sexual-assault forensic exams; DOJ and victim-service providers supported the change, while committee members pressed for clarity on unit costs, the number of exams covered and long-term funding for non-kit exams.
Senator Bob Phelan introduced SB491, a bipartisan, community-driven bill seeking $375,000 from unallocated marijuana tax revenue to establish centralized reimbursement for sexual-assault forensic medical examinations. "This bill is about protecting our residents and visitors ensuring that survivors of sexual assault receive their care and justice," Phelan told the committee.
Kayla Bragg, director of the Office of Victim Services, told the committee the proposal would create a single payer for forensic exams statewide and said the program could reimburse up to 468 kit-based exams at the proposed cap. "Victims have a statutory right to receive a forensic exam and have a kit collected and not be billed for that," Bragg said, explaining the current program covers exams when a kit is collected but not all exams statewide.
Hope Stockwell, program manager for Montana's Forensic Exam Response Network (FREP), and representatives of law-enforcement organizations supported the bill and emphasized rural access challenges, workforce shortages and the administrative benefit of centralized purchasing and reimbursement. Emergency-room and local providers earlier told the committee many SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) programs struggle to remain viable without stable funding.
Committee members asked technical questions about the funding source (unallocated marijuana tax revenue), average unit costs and the bill's capacity to cover exams that do not include kits. Bragg said FREP's invoice data suggests an average exam cost around $1,000 (some invoices higher), and noted the fiscal note's $375,000 could cover up to 468 kit-based exams at the proposed reimbursement level; the department estimated approximately 350 additional exams (forensic exams without kits collected) might still require funding.
Law-enforcement witnesses said agencies currently budget for kit costs in reported cases and that shifting to a single-payer system would relieve local departments of certain expenses and free resources for investigative work.
The committee closed the hearing after technical clarifications and discussion about administrative rule rates and potential amendments to allow the fund to purchase kits directly and protect crime-victim compensation funding.
