The bill, H.B. No. 3745, amends Article 56B.102 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to enhance the provisions regarding crime victims' compensation. It allows the attorney general to make emergency awards for anticipated pecuniary losses if it is likely that a final award will be granted and the claimant or victim would face undue hardship without immediate economic relief. Additionally, the bill introduces a new subsection that specifies that limitations on emergency awards do not apply to applications made by claimants related to deceased victims or those arising from criminally injurious conduct during a declared state of emergency.

The amendments will only apply to incidents of criminally injurious conduct occurring on or after the effective date of the Act, which is set for September 1, 2025. Any incidents that occurred prior to this date will continue to be governed by the existing laws in effect at that time. This ensures that the new provisions do not retroactively affect claims made for past incidents.