BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2271
86R9472 ADM-F	By: Miles
	Criminal Justice
	4/14/2019
	As Filed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

On May 15, 2018, Sir Romeo Milam was watching television with his grandmother in their apartment. Outside, two groups of individuals began a shootout and a stray bullet struck Sir Romeo, only four years old at the time. He would eventually spend the next seven months in the hospital, undergoing numerous surgeries and physical therapy.

 

Medical bills for the family have reached the millions, leaving them little to help relocate from their apartment, which is both unsafe and a scene of severe hardship.

 

S.B. 2271 makes child victims of attempted murders that occur within their own homes eligible for relocation cost reimbursement under the Crime Victims' Compensation Program.

 

Reimbursement under the program provides a maximum of $2,000 in one-time assistance to pay for rental deposits, moving costs, or other upfront relocation costs. The program also provides up to three months of rent assistance not to exceed $1,800. Support for S.B. 2271 will come from advocacy groups like Crime Stoppers of Houston.

 

There is no known opposition to S.B. 2271.

 

As proposed, S.B. 2271 amends current law relating to compensation under the Crime Victims' Compensation Act for certain expenses.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Article 56.42(d), Code of Criminal Procedure, as follows:

 

(d) Authorizes a victim of stalking, family violence, or trafficking of persons, a victim of sexual assault who is assaulted in the victim's place of residence, or a child who is a victim of a murder attempt in the child's place of residence to receive a onetime-only assistance payment in an amount not to exceed a certain amount. Makes nonsubstantive changes to this subsection.

 

SECTION 2. Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies only to a victim of a criminal offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. Provides that a criminal offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. Provides that, for purposes of this section, a criminal offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2019.