Existing law creates the Committee on Domestic Violence and requires the Committee to carry out certain duties relating to domestic violence, including increasing awareness, reviewing certain programs provided to peace officers for training related to domestic violence and making recommendations regarding such training, providing financial support to certain programs for the prevention of domestic violence under certain circumstances and studying certain issues relating to domestic violence. (NRS 228.470) Section 4 of this bill requires the Committee to also perform such duties as they relate to sexual assault. Section 4 also requires the Committee to: (1) make recommendations relating to the need for additional sexual assault victims' advocates; (2) make recommendations relating to the need for ongoing evaluation of the rights of survivors; and (3) review the effectiveness of the statewide program to track sexual assault forensic evidence kits. Section 4 further renames the Committee on Domestic Violence to the Committee on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to reflect the expansion of duties of the Committee. Sections 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10-16 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the renaming of the Committee. Existing law sets forth the membership of the Committee, which consists of: (1) certain persons appointed by the Attorney General, including two survivors of domestic violence; and (2) one member who is a representative of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services who has certain experience and is appointed by the Administrator of the Division. (NRS 228.470) Section 4 revises the membership of the Committee by reducing the number of survivors of domestic violence who are members of the Committee from two to one and requiring the Attorney General to additionally appoint to the Committee: (1) one staff member of a program for victims of sexual assault; (2) one survivor of sexual assault; and (3) one medical professional with experience in working with sexual assault forensic evidence kits. Existing law requires the Attorney General to designate a department or division of the Executive Department of State Government to establish a statewide program to track sexual assault forensic evidence kits. Existing law further requires such a designation to be made pursuant to the recommendation of the Sexual Assault Kit Working Group, which is the statewide working group led by the Office of the Attorney General to create policies and procedures to address the backlog of sexual assault forensic evidence kits that have not been tested. (NRS 200.3788) Section 9 of this bill requires such a designation to instead be made pursuant to the recommendation of the Committee. Existing law creates the Account for Programs Related to Domestic Violence and authorizes the Ombudsman for Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking to expend money in the Account for certain purposes relating to domestic violence, including training certain persons about domestic violence, assisting victims of domestic violence and educating the public on domestic violence. (NRS 228.460) Section 3 of this bill authorizes the Ombudsman to expend money in the Account for such purposes as they relate to sexual assault. Section 3 additionally renames the Account for Programs Related to Domestic Violence as the Account for Programs Related to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to reflect the changes made by section 3 to the scope of authorized expenditures from the Account. Sections 5 and 6 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the renaming of the Account.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 228.205, 228.427, 228.460, 228.470, 228.490, 176.094, 179A.075, 179A.100, 200.3788, 217.475, 427A.940, 432B.290, 432B.407, 439.5106, 440.170, 442.774
BDR: 228.205, 228.427, 228.460, 228.470, 228.490, 176.094, 179A.075, 179A.100, 200.3788, 217.475, 427A.940, 432B.290, 432B.407, 439.5106, 440.170, 442.774