Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect the rights of crime victims.

Bill: 115-hjres-93
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Franks, Trent [R-AZ-8]
Introduced: 2017-04-03
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Constitution and constitutional amendments

Crime victims

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Judicial procedure and administration
Latest action: action_date: 2017-04-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-04-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Constitutional Amendment</strong></p> <p> <p>This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting the United States or a state from denying or abridging certain rights of crime victims (e.g., the right to be notified of proceedings related to the offense).

tv_txt: IA 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. J. RES. 93 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 3, 2017 Mr. Franks of Arizona (for himself and Mr. Royce of California ) submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect the rights of crime victims.

That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States:  — 1. The following rights of a crime victim, being capable of protection without denying the constitutional rights of the accused, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State. The crime victim shall have the rights to reasonable notice of, and shall not be excluded from, public proceedings relating to the offense, to be heard at any release, plea, sentencing, or other proceeding involving any right established by this article, to proceedings free from unreasonable delay, to reasonable notice of the release or escape of the accused, to due consideration of the crime victim’s safety, dignity, and privacy, and to restitution. The crime victim or the crime victim's lawful representative has standing to assert and enforce these rights. Nothing in this article provides grounds for a new trial or any claim for damages. Review of the denial of any right established herein, which may include interlocutory relief, shall be subject to the standards of ordinary appellate review. 2. For purposes of this article, a crime victim includes any person against whom the criminal offense is committed or who is directly and proximately harmed by the commission of an act, which, if committed by a competent adult, would constitute a crime. 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it has been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within 14 years after the date of its submission to the States by the Congress. This article shall take effect on the 180th day after the date of its ratification. .