CRIME VICTIMS; EXPAND RIGHTS H.B. 4420-4423:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
House Bills 4420 through 4423 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Julie M. Rogers (H.B. 4420)
Representative Stephanie A. Young (H.B. 4421)
Representative Graham Filler (H.B. 4422)
Representative Greg VanWoerkom (H.B. 4423)
House Committee: Criminal Justice
Senate Committee: Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety
CONTENT
House Bill 4420 would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to allow a police officer or prosecuting attorney to provide a domestic or sexual violence service provider with certain information to facilitate contact with a victim of domestic or sexual violence for the purpose of offering supportive services to the victim.
House Bill 4421 would amend the Crime Victim's Rights Act to allow pictures, photographs, drawings, or other visual representations of a crime victim already exempted under the Freedom of Information Act to be blurred if they were from a court proceeding and were made available to the public through streaming on the internet or other means.
House Bill 4422 would amend the Crime Victim's Rights Act to add specified crimes to the definition of "serious misdemeanor", effective January 1, 2024.
House Bill 4423 would amend the Crime Victim's Rights Act to allow a victim to remotely provide an oral impact statement at a disposition or sentencing.
Proposed MCL 760.21b (H.B. 4420)
MCL 780.758 et al. (H.B. 4421)
MCL 780.811 & 780.811a (H.B. 4422)
MCL 780.765 et al. (H.B. 4423)
BRIEF RATIONALE
According to testimony, current laws do not offer enough support for crime victims. For example, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that a victim's lack of resources and concern for safety are significant barriers for escaping violent relationships. It has been suggested that these bills would better connect crime victims with resources and provide further safety.
PREVIOUS LEGISLATION
(Please note: This section does not provide a comprehensive account of previous legislative efforts on this subject matter.)
House Bill 4420 is a reintroduction of House Bill 5560 of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. House Bill 4421 is a reintroduction of House Bill 5680 of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. House Bill 4422 is a reintroduction of House Bill 5679 of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. House Bill 4423 is a reintroduction of House Bill 5681 of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. All four bills from last session passed the House but received no further action.
Legislative Analyst: Tyler P. VanHuyse
FISCAL IMPACT
House Bill 4420
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State Court Administrative Office or local courts.
House Bill 4421
The bill could require local court system to acquire and apply software so that victim images could be blurred during remote hearings. The bill would be permissive, so it is not certain that any particular court system would incur this expense; those that do could have IT costs.
House Bill 4422
The bill would not have a fiscal impact on State judicial administration. Local government jails could see an increase in jail times and sentences, as classifying more offenses as serious misdemeanors would likely increase jail sentences and sentence durations for convictions.
House Bill 4423
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State judicial administration or local court systems.
Date Completed: 10-2-23 Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco, Jr.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.