The committee discussed House changes to the bill that expand who may apply to the Victim Compensation Board and that create opt‑in notice and a study of victim notification for earned‑time credits.

The House amendment preserves existing authority for victims to apply for compensation and adds 'intervenors' who assist not only law enforcement officers but also other protected professionals listed in statute — including firefighters, health‑care workers and emergency medical personnel — so that someone who intervenes to assist one of those professionals may apply to the Victim Compensation Board. Staff described the change as expanding the pool of people who can seek compensation without guaranteeing an award: applicants must still meet the board’s criteria.

Separately, the committee considered a House change that allows victims to opt in to receive notices when an offender earns time credit under the state's earned‑time program. Under current practice victims receive many automated notices; the House language permits a victim to receive the same earned‑time notifications so they can track changes that could affect an offender’s release date.

Committee members also reviewed a new task force, requested by the Center for Crime Victim Services, to study the state’s victim‑notification system. The task force’s scope, as described in the bill language, is to study accessibility, automated notification options, interagency information sharing and training needs and to report recommendations to the legislature by December of the year set in the bill.

Committee members and staff emphasized these changes are procedural and do not alter the underlying earned‑time rules or the Victim Compensation Board’s eligibility criteria beyond creating an applicant class. The committee noted the House changes came with stakeholder requests from the Center for Crime Victim Services and that outside witnesses had been involved in developing the language. The bill language and task‑force work will be subject to follow-up as the House text becomes final.