An Act to amend 302.113 (9g) (g) 3., 302.114 (6) (e) and 973.09 (3m) (c); to create 950.06 (1m) (dg) of the statutes; Relating to: crime victim notification cards. (FE)
Summary
SB372 would change who provides crime victim notification cards in certain criminal cases. Under current law, the clerk of circuit court is responsible for giving victims cards they can use to request notice about future proceedings involving a defendant. This bill shifts that responsibility to a county victim and witness office, if the county has one, while keeping the clerk involved in receiving completed cards and maintaining the underlying court process. The bill applies to notification cards tied to inmates, criminal defendants, and probationers, including proceedings involving sentence modification and probation changes.
The bill also directs the director of state courts to continue designing and supplying the cards without charge to both clerks of circuit court and county victim and witness offices. It preserves confidentiality protections by keeping victims’ mailing-address information out of public inspection and copying under the open records law. In addition, the bill creates a new statutory provision in the victims’ rights chapter to cover information and assistance related to victim notifications for court proceedings involving sentence or probation modifications.
Impact
SB372 would amend statutes governing victim notification procedures in prison, sentence-modification, and probation contexts, specifically sections 302.113, 302.114, and 973.09, and would create a new provision in chapter 950. The practical effect is to reassign a ministerial duty from circuit court clerks to county victim and witness offices in counties that have those offices, while preserving the same notification-card system and confidentiality rules. Counties with victim and witness offices would take on additional administrative responsibility, while victims would continue to receive the same forms and use the same process to request notice of future proceedings.
Sentiment
The bill appears to be generally supportive of victims’ rights and administrative efficiency, with no recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials showing opposition or debate. Its framing suggests a technical, noncontroversial adjustment intended to improve how victims receive notification cards and assistance. The fact that it was introduced with multiple bipartisan cosponsors also suggests broad interest in the proposal, even though the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is administrative responsibility: the bill moves the duty to distribute victim notification cards from clerks of court to county victim and witness offices where those offices exist, which could raise questions about staffing, workload, and implementation for counties. Another possible issue is whether the change meaningfully improves victim access or simply shifts duties between local offices without altering substantive rights. No direct objections, amendments, or recorded disputes are included in the provided discussion materials, so any contention appears limited and procedural rather than ideological.
Crossfiled
An Act to amend 302.113 (9g) (g) 3., 302.114 (6) (e) and 973.09 (3m) (c); to create 950.06 (1m) (dg) of the statutes; Relating to: crime victim notification cards. (FE)