CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER ACT S.B. 1617:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 1617 (as introduced 11-6-08)
Sponsor: Senator Wayne Kuipers
Committee: Judiciary
Date Completed: 11-12-08
CONTENT
The bill would create the "Children's Advocacy Center Act" to establish the "Children's Advocacy Center Fund" and provide for the Fund's use, including services to victims of child sexual abuse.
The Children's Advocacy Center Fund would be created with the State Treasury. The State Treasurer could receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the Fund. The Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Fund and credit to it interest and earnings from Fund investments. Money in the Fund at the close of the fiscal year would remain in the Fund and could not lapse to the General Fund.
The board of directors of the Michigan Chapter of the National Children's Alliance would be the administrator of the Fund for auditing purposes.
Money could not be spent from the Fund for the first year after the Act's effective date. Beginning two years after the effective date, the board could spend money from the Fund, as appropriated. Money in the Fund could be spent only as follows:
-- To provide investigative, assessment, counseling, support, and educational services to victims of child sexual abuse and their families through children's advocacy centers.
-- To pay the actual and reasonable operating costs of children's advocacy centers.
-- To provide training related to child sexual abuse for personnel employed or otherwise retained by children's advocacy centers.
-- To improve the detection, investigation, treatment, and prevention of child sexual abuse through the coordinated activities of children's advocacy centers, medical care providers, crime victim organizations, and local, State, and Federal law enforcement officials.
-- To improve public awareness of child sexual abuse through the use of children's advocacy centers.
-- To pay the actual and reasonable costs of administering the Fund.
Not more than 10% of distributions made in any fiscal year could be used to pay administrative costs.
The board would have to require an annual audit of the Fund's income and expenditures and provide an annual report of income and expenditures to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives by February 1 of each year.
The proposed Act would take effect on January 1, 2009.
Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1617/0708