Bill > H4326

This bill aims to modernize the roles and responsibilities of the Victim and Witness Assistance Board in Massachusetts. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Requiring the Board to provide summaries of victim and witness rights in the top five languages spoken in the state, in addition to English, and to respond to requests for translations in other languages. 2. Updating the language in the law to use gender-neutral pronouns when referring to the Board. 3. Expanding the Board's responsibilities to include funding and supporting victim services across the state, providing information and training to victim service providers and allied professionals, advocating for policy initiatives related to victim rights and services, managing the Garden of Peace memorial, and administering the SAFEPLAN advocacy program. 4. Removing the reference to "the board" in a section of the law, likely to provide more flexibility in how victim and witness assistance is implemented. The overall aim of the bill is to modernize and enhance the Victim and Witness Assistance Board's roles and responsibilities to better support victims and witnesses in Massachusetts.

Budget and Finance

Joint Committee on the Judiciary (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H4326