Crime victims.

(1) Existing law requires the Controller to offset specified financial obligations, listed in order of priority, against the amount of a personal income tax refund. This bill would modify this provision to include the nonpayment of penalties to the Restitution Fund. (2) Existing law provides that crime victims and derivative victims, as defined, may be awarded compensation by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the pecuniary losses they suffer as a direct result of criminal acts. Existing law authorizes the board to grant an award not to exceed $2,000 to a victim for expenses of relocation determined by law enforcement to be necessary for the personal safety of the victim or by a mental health treatment provider to be necessary for the personal safety or emotional well-being of the victim. This bill would allow the board to increase the cash payment or reimbursement for relocation to an amount greater than $2,000, if the board finds this amount is appropriate due to the unusual, dire, or exceptional circumstances of a particular claim. By authorizing an increase in the amount of an expenditure from a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.