Senate Majority To Pass Legislation Protecting The Rights Of Survivors

Today, the Senate Democratic Majority will pass legislation to strengthen the rights of victims of domestic and sexual violence and strengthen protections for survivors.

This legislation builds on the Senate Majority’s recent victories in the 2023-2034 budget, where we secured $13 million for State victim and witness assistance, $5 million in grants for assistance to survivors and victims of domestic violence, and $4.5 million for rape crisis centers.

The legislation being passed by the Senate Democratic Majority includes:

• Expands Definition of “Welfare” for Reimbursement of a Victim’s Personal Property: This bill, S303, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar would expand the definition of “welfare” in order to enable victims of crime to receive reimbursement for personal property that has been lost, damaged, or stolen as a result of a crime. The reimbursement or replacement of such property is meant to assist the victim in regaining stability and maintaining a reasonable standard of living.
• Victims’ Rights Disclosures: This bill, S5502, sponsored by Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton would provide additional rights to crime victims and require the court or district attorney, either at sentencing or at the earliest time possible, to provide the victims of said crime with an informational sheet explaining their rights.
• Defining Victims of Unlawful Image Dissemination:This bill, S3236, sponsored by Senator Luis Sepúlveda would add to the definition of a victim of a sexual offense by including a victim of unlawful dissemination or publication of an intimate image.

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