Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced the passage of a series of bills that will help empower and support victims of violent crimes, including human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault. The legislation coincides with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which is recognized April 10-16 this year.

“Often times, many victims and families in crisis face significant financial or legal barriers that can impact their ability to get the justice they deserve,” said Assemblyman Stirpe. “This legislation will help support those individuals by improving access to vital resources and services to help them rebuild their lives.”

Specifically, the Assembly’s legislative package:

• expands victims’ benefits to include counseling expenses for surviving family members of homicide victims, including domestic partners (A.3694-A);
• allows courts to direct all or a portion of certain fines to the Office of Victim Services, helping to create another revenue source to fund assistance programs for victims (A.2661);
• allows victims to receive compensation for transportation costs associated with necessary court appearances (A.1097);
• ensures victims of violent crimes or sex offenses are informed of their right to submit a statement to the state parole board if their perpetrator is being considered for parole (A.6945); and
• expands the definition of rape to include forms of nonconsensual sexual acts, which are currently classified as “criminal sexual acts” (A.4959-B);

The package of legislation also includes specific measures that help combat human trafficking and protect individuals who fall victims to these horrific crimes. These include measures that outline stronger procedures for identifying and providing support for victims, including enhanced efforts to provide housing and counseling (A.2953-A), along with a bill that expands the activities of an interagency task force on human trafficking (A.9317). Also included are bills that require casino employees to complete training procedures for identifying possible victims of human trafficking as well as mandate that certain health care workers be trained in identifying, assessing and referring victims (A.3419, A.8650-A).

“Not only will this legislation protect the health and safety of victims of human trafficking, but it will empower survivors by providing them with the necessary tools to recover and lead fulfilling lives,” noted Stirpe.