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Panel OKs expansion allowing more victims to seek state reparations
Summary
A House committee gave HB206 a due pass to add simple assault, simple battery, criminal contact and robbery with a deadly weapon to the Crimes Victims Reparation Act, aiming to close eligibility gaps and ease access to compensation for medical care, counseling and lost income.
Representative Chavis Henry introduced House Bill 206 to expand the list of offenses eligible for compensation under New Mexico’s Crime Victims Reparation Act, saying the change would make it easier for more victims to access medical care, counseling and lost-income support.
Frank Zubia, director of the Crime Victims Reparation Commission, testified the commission funds 192 victim-services projects statewide and has relied on emergency assistance funds when statutory eligibility excluded certain victims. "Historically, our organization was able to support victim services through emergency assistance funds, but there is a threshold for that," Zubia said, noting emergency assistance typically caps around $2,000 and that the commission receives $0.75 in federal funding for every state dollar spent.
Service providers and law enforcement urged passage. Bill Lee of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce called HB206 a "common-sense expansion" that closes gaps leaving some victims ineligible for help. Rachel Biggs of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless cited a national finding that people living unsheltered face far higher rates of violent victimization and said the change would help remove cost barriers to treatment.
Committee members asked about fiscal impacts and whether adding enumerated offenses would strain the commission’s budget. Zubia said the commission has a fund balance to draw on and that federal matching funds help share costs. Representative Thompson said he supported the bill but urged close monitoring of expenditures.
The committee moved a due-pass motion and recorded a due pass of 6 to 0 on HB206. The measure now moves forward for further consideration.
