Committee approves victims' rights expansion; debate centers on compensation-fund impacts
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Summary
SB 19-28 would expand victims' courtroom rights, widen restitution eligibility (including insurers and police), allow more access to the victims' compensation fund, and add harassment protections; committee advanced the bill after members questioned potential depletion of the compensation fund.
Senator Taylor told the committee SB 19-28 would let victims remain in the courtroom while testifying, expand eligibility for restitution so insurers and police departments could seek additional recovery in some cases, broaden the pool eligible for state victims' compensation and criminalize specified forms of harassment against victims.
"Victims will get to remain in the courtroom, and judges can no longer remove victims from a trial just because they're also going to testify," Taylor said, and added that police departments could also seek restitution for money spent in undercover operations in certain circumstances.
Senator Kyle pushed back on whether the bill would drain the victims' compensation fund if insurers and agencies could make claims. "We are draining the funds, the victim compensation fund, so that there'll be less money for those victims coming behind a present case," Kyle said, arguing insurers have already been paid once and that expanding claimants risks depleting the fund. Taylor replied that local jurisdictions' failure to remit court costs and fees, not victims' claims, largely explains the fund's depletion and that finance will review the fiscal impact.
The roll-call vote recorded seven ayes and two noes; the chair announced SB 19-28 will go to the Senate Finance Committee.
The bill changes restitution pathways and victim-protection rules; the finance committee will examine how the expanded restitution eligibility interacts with the victims' compensation fund and local remittance practices.