HB 12-1053 Summary

• Expands the definition of "crime" under the Victims' Rights Act to include trafficking in adults, trafficking in children, first degree burglary, and retaliation against judges or jurors.

• Adds postconviction DNA testing decisions and court proceedings resulting from DNA testing results as "critical stages" where victims have rights, though an inmate's request for testing alone is not a critical stage.

• Enhances victim notification and participation rights by allowing victims to address courts when unavailable in person (by phone or technology), protecting victims' social security numbers from public records, and requiring notification of criminal protection orders and address protection options.

• Expands victim rights regarding sentence modifications by requiring notification when courts consider granting modifications without hearings and allowing victims to provide input before court rulings.

• Adds "grandchild" to the list of relatives who can serve as a victim's representative if the victim is deceased or incapacitated.