ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 678
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JUNE 22, 2023
The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably
Assembly Bill No. 678.
This bill specifically authorizes the Victims of Crime
Compensation Office (VCCO) to pay expenses related to protecting
the safety of cooperating witnesses. The bill defines a “cooperating
witness” as a witness who testifies for the government to help
prosecute a crime, and includes a confidential informant.
The bill also authorizes the Division of Criminal Justice in the
Department of Law and Public Safety to award grants from the Victim
and Witness Advocacy Fund to public entities and not-for-profit
organizations to provide services that protect the safety of cooperating
witnesses.
Finally, the bill amends the Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights to
expand the rights of cooperating witnesses. The bill gives these
witnesses the right to be provided assistance before and during trial to
cope with the psychological and practical obstacles of testifying.
These witnesses also would be given the right to receive protective
measures before, during, and after a hearing or trial and to have
established court procedures ensuring their safety while testifying.
According to the sponsor, witnesses who risk their own safety and
well-being to aid in the prosecution of crimes, including gang-related
violence, often are retaliated against in the form of intimidation, death
threats, violence, and murder. This deters other witnesses from
testifying in criminal trials. This situation necessitates additional
funding to be dedicated to services that provide these witnesses with
enhanced protections. The Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights also needs to
specifically guarantee the rights of this subgroup of witnesses.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that the bill may
result in additional annual State expenditures of up to $1 million from
the Victim and Witness Advocacy Fund to provide additional services
and to ensure existing services are provided to victims and witnesses
of crimes. The OLS, however, cannot assess the exact magnitude of
the increases given the confidential nature of the information regarding
the cooperating witnesses, and bases the estimate on historical account
information. 2
The bill clarifies, and potentially expands, the Victim and Witness
Advocacy Fund award reimbursements to include certain services a
cooperating witness to a crime may receive and includes
reimbursements to certain organizations providing services, and
therefore potentially increases payments related to caring for and
protecting witnesses of crime.