SB87 clarifies that counties must pay for the complete costs of forensic medical examinations for rape and sexual assault victims, including hospital services, lab tests, medications, and imaging—and specifies that victims don't have to report the crime or cooperate with police to receive this free examination. The bill also requires hospitals and clinics to work with counties to set up payment processes and inform victims that these exams are available at no cost to them.
The amendment makes primarily technical and clarifying edits to the bill's language—changing "Physician" to "Provider," "conducting an" to "that provides," "medicaid" capitalization, and replacing "may not" with "shall" in one instance—without substantively altering the bill's core requirement that counties pay for forensic medical examinations for rape and sexual assault victims. These changes NARROW the scope slightly by strengthening the mandatory language around payment caps and Medicaid-based pricing methodology while maintaining the bill's central purpose of ensuring no-cost exams for victims regardless of law enforcement cooperation.
The amendment removes references to specific definitions of "forensic medical examination" in other statute sections and simplifies language by removing "physician" from several provisions to refer only to "hospital" and "clinic" providers. These are primarily technical and formatting changes that tighten the enrolled bill's language without substantively altering the bill's purpose of clarifying forensic examination requirements and payment responsibilities.
Other amendments
Signed by the Governor S.J. 488
Delivered to the Governor S.J. 477
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 516
Signed by the President S.J. 448
House of Representatives Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 65, NAYS 0. H.J. 470
Health and Human Services Certified uncontested, placed on consent
Health and Human Services Do Pass Passed, YEAS 11, NAYS 0.
Health and Human Services Scheduled for hearing
First read in House and referred to House Health and Human Services H.J. 416
Senate Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 34, NAYS 0. S.J. 340
Health and Human Services Certified uncontested, placed on consent S.J. 15
Health and Human Services Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 6, NAYS 0. S.J. 15
Health and Human Services Motion to amend S.J. 15
Health and Human Services Scheduled for hearing S.J. 1
First read in Senate and referred to Senate Health and Human Services S.J. 55
Prime sponsor · Rep.
R
Prime sponsor · Sen.
R
Do Pass Amended
Health and Human Services — Do Pass
Do Pass Amended
Health and Human Services — Do Pass Amended