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House adopts Child Victim Recovery Fund with amendments to assess defendants’ ability to pay
Summary
House Bill 24 43 was amended to require courts to determine a defendant’s ability to pay before imposing fees and to broaden covered offenses; both amendments were agreed to and the bill passed.
House Bill 24 43 (Child Victim Recovery Fund) was called and Representative Schlossberg offered Amendment A03456 to require courts, before imposing a fee or installment payment, to determine whether the defendant is able to pay and to prohibit a mandatory minimum installment not based on ability to pay. The amendment was presented as agreed to and members voted in favor (ayes 104, nays 98). Representative Klunk followed with an amendment to expand the definition of covered offenses to include offenses under SORNA and to ensure victims of serious crimes, including trafficking, are held to the same fee standards; Representative Mullins confirmed it was agreed to and asked for an affirmative vote. Both amendments were agreed to (one recorded unanimous 202–0) and the bill was agreed to as amended.
Supporters said the bill will provide additional resources to child advocacy centers and ensure courts consider defendants’ ability to pay; critics earlier sought broader offense definitions which were addressed by amendment. The bill will be reprinted to reflect the changes.
Next steps: bill reprint and subsequent processing on the House calendar.
