Crime victims' rights amendment to go on November ballot

The House voted 105-11 Tuesday in favor of the proposed amendment, following the Senate's 44-1 vote late Monday.

The measure requires notification of all court proceedings if victims request it. It expands existing rights for victims to include more crimes, including all felony property crimes and crimes against a person, a broad category that covers threats.

The change would cost $11.2 million a year to implement, according to a fiscal note released Monday, as state dollars are used to cover salaries for some 150 victim services coordinators around the state. But Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, said federal grants could cover those costs for the next couple of years.

Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, a former District Court judge, questioned the need for a constitutional amendment, noting victims' rights are already recognized in the state constitution and any additions could be made by statute.

"What are we trying to solve that existing laws don't do?" Morey asked. "We're looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist."

But GOP House members said the rights of the accused aren't subject to the whims of future legislatures, so the rights of victims should likewise be protected.

"There's great inconsistency," Dollar said. "Often, victims can get lost in the system."

The measure, in House Bill 551, is called Marsy's Law after a woman in California whose family ran into her killer in a grocery store after he was let out on bond. Its movement in North Carolina is part of a national effort to expand victim protections across the country.