04/18/2000 01:50 PM Senate HES

          HB 270-PAYMENT FOR SEXUAL ABUSE EXAMINATIONS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SAM SHEPARD,  staff to  Representative Croft,  sponsor of  HB
,  explained that  CSSS  HB 270(HES)  would  assure that  adult                                                              
victims  of sexual  assault  are not  charged  for their  forensic                                                              
evidentiary exams.  Currently, when  victims of sexual assault are                                                              
taken to a hospital  by the police, they are  given an examination                                                              
for  the  purpose  of  the  prosecution  of  a  crime.    In  some                                                              
instances, the victim's private health  insurance has been charged                                                              
for the cost  of that exam.   HB 270 would ensure that  victims do                                                              
not receive a bill in the mail for  the exam after coming to terms                                                              
with  their  victimization.    The   Alaska  State  Troopers  have                                                              
testified in  other committees  that they  budget for these  exams                                                              
and consider  paying for them to  be good police practice.   As an                                                              
analogy, when a  person's home is burglarized and  the police dust                                                              
for fingerprints, the homeowner is not billed for that evidence.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MILLER asked who pays for  the exam of a victim under the                                                              
age of 16.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SHEPARD  replied  that  the  Division  of  Family  and  Youth                                                              
Services (DFYS)  pays for the exams  for children in  its custody.                                                              
In  addition,   several  child  advocacy  centers   in  Fairbanks,                                                              
Anchorage, and  the Mat-Su Valley  seek Medicaid funding  or other                                                              
funds to pay for forensic exam.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MILLER  asked who  would pay the  bill when  parents take                                                              
their child,  who is under  the age of 16,  to the hospital  for a                                                              
forensic exam.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. SHEPARD  said, in most  cases, the  police would pay  for that                                                              
exam.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MILLER  said he  just wanted to  make sure that  the bill                                                              
did not  create an  unintentional loophole  for victims  under the                                                              
age of 16.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
There being  no further  testimony, SENATOR  WILKEN moved  CSSS HB
(HES) from  committee with  individual recommendations.   There                                                              
being no objection, the motion carried.