Children's advocacy centers.

WORKING DRAFT
2007
STATE OF WYOMING
07LSO-0258

SENATE FILE
NO.
SF0102

Children's advocacy centers.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Jennings, Aullman, Barrasso and Cooper and Representative(s) Brechtel, Davison and Gingery

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the treatment of abused and neglected children; providing a definition; providing for distribution of state funds to children's advocacy centers; providing criteria for state funded children's advocacy centers; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 1
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102(a) by creating a new paragraph (xii) and 1
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118(b) by creating a new paragraph (viii) and by creating new subsections (h) and (j) are amended to read:

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102.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this act:

(xii)

"Children's advocacy center" means a center that serves child victims of sexual and physical abuse and neglect in accordance with the requirements of W.S. 1
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118(h).

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118.

Distribution of monies to crime victim service and victim assistance providers.

(b)

For purposes of this section "crime victim service provider" means any program operated by a public agency or nonprofit organization or any combination thereof which provides comprehensive services to victims of crime, including but not limited to:

(viii)

Children's advocacy centers.

(h)

To the extent the legislature provides funding for children's advocacy centers that serve child victim's of sexual and physical abuse, the division shall:

(i)

Distribute the state funding based on submitted applications from eligible children's advocacy centers that comply with the provisions of this subsection;

(ii)

Establish minimum program standards and reporting requirements for children's advocacy centers that receive state funding under this subsection in accordance with W.S. 9
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638(a)(vii);

(iii)

Promulgate rules requiring children's advocacy centers that receive state funding to:

(A)

Coordinate and facilitate a team approach for the treatment and service of abused and neglected children;

(B)

Provide services, forensic interviewing and counseling to any maltreated, neglected or abused child, including those children who have lived in a home where controlled substances were used illegally, who have witnessed a crime or have been affected by criminal activity;

(C)

Provide a forum for interdisciplinary case review of child abuse and neglect cases with the goal of increasing cooperation among the various agencies tasked with providing services for victims of child abuse and neglect;

(D)

Increase community awareness of child abuse and neglect through education and prevention programs in partnership with national and state child abuse prevention programs;

(E)

Submit an application for state funding to the division for approval. The application shall state the manner in which the children's advocacy center is achieving the requirements of this subsection; and

(F)

Advocate to ensure victims are allowed to exercise their rights under the victims bill of rights established in W.S. 1
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203.

(j)

Any expenses incurred in implementing subsection (h) of this section shall be paid by the division and shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the funding appropriated for children's advocacy centers.

Section 2.

There is appropriated one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000.00) from the general fund to be expended by the office of the attorney general for the purposes of this act beginning July 1, 2007 and ending June 30, 2008.

Section 3
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This act is effective July 1, 2007.

(END)

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SF0102