An Act to modernize the roles and responsibilities of the victim and witness assistance board

This bill updates the responsibilities of Massachusetts' Victim and Witness Assistance Board to better support crime victims and witnesses. It requires the board to provide summaries of victim rights in the top five non-English languages spoken in the state at police stations and courthouses. Additionally, the board will be tasked with managing the Garden of Peace memorial in Boston, administering the SAFEPLAN advocacy program, and funding victim services across the commonwealth. The legislation also mandates that the board create its own internal bylaws and offers professional development opportunities for victim service providers. Finally, the bill changes the language in existing laws to use gender-neutral terms when referring to board members.