Permits victims of stalking to recover for expenses related to relocation or home modification under the crime victim compensation program.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would expand Rhode Island's Crime Victim Compensation Program to specifically help people who are victims of stalking. Under this program, the state provides financial assistance to victims of crime to help cover costs they couldn't have anticipated. Right now, the program helps with things like medical bills and lost wages, but this bill would add a new category: costs related to moving to a new home or making safety modifications to an existing home.

In practical terms, this means a stalking victim could apply for state funds to help pay for expenses like breaking a lease early, moving costs, or making changes to their home — such as installing security cameras, stronger locks, or other protective measures — if those steps are necessary because of the stalking they experienced. The idea is that safety from a stalker often requires physical changes to where a person lives, which can be expensive.

This bill directly affects people in Rhode Island who have been victims of stalking and who qualify for the existing Crime Victim Compensation Program. It gives them access to financial relief for a type of cost — relocation and home security — that the program does not currently cover. It does not change the program's basic structure or eligibility rules; it simply adds these new expenses to the list of things victims can be reimbursed for.

The bill has been recommended for passage by its committee and has been placed on the House Calendar, meaning the full House of Representatives is expected to vote on it.