LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
200 W. Washington St., Suite 301
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 233-0696
iga.in.gov
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 6625 NOTE PREPARED: Jan 2, 2024
BILL NUMBER: HB 1421 BILL AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Victims Assistance Fund.
FIRST AUTHOR: Rep. Fleming BILL STATUS: As Introduced
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State
XDEDICATED
XFEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: This bill provides that certain records obtained by the Indiana Criminal Justice
Institute (ICJI) during an investigation into a claim for compensation from the Violent Crime Victims
Compensation Fund are confidential. It also increases the amount a claimant may be awarded from the
Violent Crime Victims Compensation Fund from $15,000 to $25,000.
Effective Date: July 1, 2024.
Explanation of State Expenditures: The bill could potentially increase expenditures from the Violent
Crime Victims Compensation Fund to the extent the ICJI reimburses up to $25,000 for claimant awards.
Although the bill increases the allowable amount per claim, amounts currently paid do not always reach the
maximum reimbursement allowed. Therefore, the impact of the bill could potentially be minimal.
Under current law, if appropriations are insufficient to pay eligible claims, the ICJI may request
augmentation from the state General Fund.
Additional Information: There are two types of applications under the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)
program, a violent crime application and a sex crime application. A violent crimes application is submitted
by a victim or another qualified party requesting reimbursement for eligible expenses. Sex crime applications
are submitted by a medical provider who performs forensic examinations of a sex crime victim. In FY 2021,
the ICJI received 922 new violent crime applications and 2,111 new sexual assault applications. The ICJI
approved 153 violent crime applications for payment and denied 715 applications.
The Violent Crime Victims Compensation Fund receives money from federal VOCA grants, court fees, state
HB 1421 1 General Fund appropriations, and portions of DOC offender earnings, punitive damages, and restitution
orders. The following table displays the total amount paid out from the fund between FFY 2017 and FFY
2022.
Federal Annual Performance Measures
Payments from the Violent Crime Victim Compensation Fund
FFY 2017FFY 2018FFY 2019FFY 2020FFY 2021FFY 2022
$7.59 M $9.26 M $8.79 M $7.39 M $6.99 M$7.26 M
Explanation of State Revenues:
Explanation of Local Expenditures:
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected: Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Local Agencies Affected:
Information Sources: Violent Crime Administration Fund 38410; Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Victim
Services Division, ICJI Annual Report FY 2021, https://www.in.gov/cji/victim-services/; Office for Victims
of Crime, Indiana, State Compensation Program Reports (FFY 2018 - FFY2022),
https://ovc.ojp.gov/states/indiana#1-0;
Fiscal Analyst: Corrin Harvey, 317-234-9438.
HB 1421 2