2020 Regular Session

BySenators Cleveland, Nguyen, Wilson, C., Das, and Saldaña

Read first time 01/16/20.Referred to Committee on Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation.

AN ACT Relating to providing funding for medical evaluations of suspected victims of child abuse; adding new sections to chapter 7.68 RCW; creating a new section; and providing expiration dates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that the crime victims' compensation fund was established in 1973 to cover medical bills and other costs associated with being the victim of a crime. The legislature finds that state law requires the crime victims' compensation fund to pay the costs of sexual assault examinations of minors when they are performed to gather evidence for possible prosecution. The legislature finds that in 2015, the legislature passed Substitute Senate Bill No. 5897 to provide funding for medical evaluations of suspected child victims of physical abuse. The legislature finds that this law expired June 30, 2019, and was not extended in the omnibus operating appropriations act. The legislature recognizes that while sexual assault examinations are currently provided for by the crime victims' compensation fund, examinations for child victims of felony-level physical assault are not provided for. The legislature finds that medical examinations are important for children who may be victims of felony-level physical abuse. The legislature finds that contributing to the cost of these examinations will incentivize timely evaluations, lead to early identification of abuse, and potentially prevent a child from further traumatization or injury. The legislature therefore resolves to reenact the provision of medical examinations of children who may be victims of felony-level physical abuse.

(2) This section expires June 30, 2024.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 7.68 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department must pay, secondary to other insurance benefits, all costs incurred by an institution as defined in RCW 26.44.020 for the examination of a suspected victim of assault of a child when the examination is conducted within seventy-five days of the filing of a petition for dependency under chapter 13.34 or 26.44 RCW.

(2) This section expires June 30, 2024.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 7.68 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By November 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department must submit a report to the legislature and governor with the following information: The number of requests to pay for sexual assault exams, how many of these requests are approved and denied including the reasons for denial, and any other information the department believes is beneficial.

(2) This section expires June 30, 2024.