Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee
HB 1501
Brief Description: Authorizing additional counseling services for immediate family members of homicide victims.
Sponsors: Representatives Steele, Caldier, Santos, Leavitt, Schmidt, Eslick, Orwall, Reeves and Graham.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Allows the Crime Victims Compensation Program to provide more than 12 counseling sessions to the immediate family members of a homicide victim.
Hearing Date: 2/7/23
Staff: Jim Morishima (786-7191).
Background:

The Crime Victims Compensation Program (CVCP) is administered by the Department of Labor and Industries to provide benefits to victims of criminal acts.  For example, the CVCP provides appropriate counseling services to the immediate family members of a homicide victim.  The counseling services are limited to 12 sessions after the victim's claim has been allowed.
Summary of Bill:

The Crime Victims Compensation Program (CVCP) may provide more than 12 counseling sessions to the immediate family members of a homicide victim if a licensed behavioral health provider acting within the provider's scope of practice determines that:

  • the unmet behavioral health needs of the recipient of the services directly resulted from near-term consequences of the related effects of the homicide; and
  • the recipient of the services would benefit from an additional number of sessions.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on February 5, 2023.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.