FRANKFORT, Ky. — Crime victims in Kentucky could soon see more support from the state if a bill moving through the legislature becomes law.
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 319, sponsored by outgoing State Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, was presented to a House committee. Like it did on the Senate floor, it was unanimously approved and now heads to the full House.
The bill does several things to better serve victims and their families.
It increases the overall compensation amount that the Crime Victim Compensation Board can grant from $30,000 to $50,000.
“It increases the funeral expenses, removal of tattoos for trafficking victims and temporary housing, relocation,” Harper Angel said.
SB 319 also allows people to file compensation claims and track its progress online.
“Once a claim is filed, it’s assigned to one of our investigators with our agency, we have three currently,” John Hardesty, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Claims and Appeals told lawmakers Wednesday. “Our processing times vary depending on the volume of claims that we receive, which has increased over the last several years, but on average, the investigation process takes about 3 to 4 months. It is a very thorough process.”
The bill also addresses the state’s previous backlog of untested rape kits and removes the five-year time period for a person to file a compensation claim.
“More kits were coming through quicker. More people are actually saying, I want my tests submitted, so they’re on a good schedule, but we’ve had more and more come in since we passed the legislation several years ago,” Harper Angel said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, several lawmakers commended the state senator for her work on this bill and others throughout her 20 year career to support crime victims.
“Victims should be our number one priority rather than the accused, because oftentimes the lack of priority we give our victims is just causing them to be victimized over and over and over again,” State Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, said.
“I’m walking away on my own terms, feeling very good about my service. And I appreciate everything everyone has done to help me through it,” Harper Angel told Spectrum News 1 after her bill passed through the House committee.