Revision: March 25, 2010, midnight
HB 1441 – AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
10Feb2010… 0089h
24Mar2010… 1026h
2010 SESSION
04/01
HOUSE BILL 1441
AN ACT relative to claimant eligibility for victim’s compensation.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cushing, Rock 15
COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
This bill provides that a victim of a crime under investigation by the cold case homicide unit shall be eligible for victim’s compensation, regardless of the date of the crime, which are incurred after the effective date of this act.
The bill also requires that the victims’ assistance commission submit a report on the number of claims and amount of compensation granted from the victims’ assistance fund and the balance of the fund at the end of each fiscal year.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10Feb2010… 0089h
24Mar2010… 1026h
10-2615
04/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT relative to claimant eligibility for victim’s compensation.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Claimant Eligibility and Compensation. Amend RSA 21-M:8-h by inserting after paragraph VII the following new paragraph:
VIII. Any person who was a victim of a crime under investigation by the cold case homicide unit as established in New Hampshire Laws 2009, 269:1 shall be eligible for victim’s compensation regardless of the date of the crime. Compensation under this paragraph shall be limited to counseling expenses and expenses associated with the victim’s participation in pre- and post-conviction proceedings incurred after the effective date of this paragraph.
2 New Paragraph; Victims’ Assistance Commission. Amend RSA 21-M:8-g by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
IV. No later than September 15, 2010, and annually thereafter, the commission shall submit a written report detailing the number of claims for compensation made from the victims’ assistance fund and the total amount of compensation granted from the fund for the preceding fiscal year, and the balance of the fund as of the end of the preceding fiscal year, to the chairpersons of the house and senate ways and means committees, the house criminal justice and public safety committee, and the senate judiciary committee.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
10-2615
Amended 03/02/10
HB 1441 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to claimant eligibility for victim’s compensation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Justice states this bill, as amended by the House (Amendment #2010-0089h), may increase state restricted expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2011 and each year thereafter. There is no fiscal impact on county and local expenditures or state, county, and local revenue.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Justice states this bill allows victims of a crime under investigation by the cold case homicide unit to be eligible, regardless of the date of the crime, for victim’s compensation only for counseling expenses and expenses associated with the victim’s participation in pre- and post-conviction proceedings. The Department states over 120 cold cases have been identified by the cold case homicide unit. The Department has no information to determine how many of the cases will be brought forward for prosecution or of those brought forward how many victims would apply for victim’s compensation in order to determine any increased expenditures from the victim’s assistance fund.