Bill
A 3879
Require conspicuous signs in hospital emergency departments informing crime victims about VCCO services, contact info, and how to file a claim.
Note on title discrepancy
- The bill title you provided (about permitting the Commissioner of Education to include graduate programs under a tuition assistance program) does not match the bill text and committee statements supplied. The documents attached to A-3879 concern required signage in hospital emergency departments about the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO). This summary is based on the bill text and committee reports provided (VCCO signage), not the unrelated title.
Summary: VCCO signage in emergency departments (A-3879)
Purpose
- Require clear, conspicuous signage in hospital emergency departments to inform crime victims about the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO), its services, contact information, and how to file a compensation claim — improving victim awareness and access to compensation services.
Key provisions
- Development: The Commissioner of Health, in collaboration with the Attorney General, is directed to develop, prepare, and produce signs (and originally pamphlets in the introduced version) about the VCCO.
- Content: Signs must be clearly written and readily comprehensible and provide:
1. The services and benefits offered by the VCCO;
2. Contact information for the VCCO; and
3. Procedures for filing a victim’s compensation claim.
- Placement: Signs must be posted in conspicuous locations in every emergency department of a general hospital and every satellite emergency department licensed under current law. Electronic signs may be used in addition to posted signs.
- Committee amendments: The Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee removed the introduced-version requirement to produce and distribute pamphlets and eliminated mandatory pamphlet distribution to victims; it also explicitly permitted electronic signage.
Who is affected
- Hospitals: General hospitals and licensed satellite emergency departments will be required to post (or display electronically) the required VCCO signage in emergency departments.
- Victims of crime: Patients and visitors to emergency departments will have improved access to information about VCCO benefits and claims procedures.
- State agencies: The Department of Health (Commissioner of Health) and Office of the Attorney General are responsible for developing signage content and coordinating implementation.
- VCCO: Likely increased inquiries/claims due to greater public awareness.
Procedural history and timeline
- Introduced in the Assembly: February 27, 2024.
- Referred and reported through Assembly committees (Judiciary; Public Safety and Preparedness) with amendments June–December 2024.
- Passed the Assembly unanimously (74–0–0) on January 30, 2025.
- Received in the Senate and referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on February 3, 2025.
- Effective date (per introduced text): the first day of the fourth month following enactment.
Fiscal and operational considerations
- The bill does not specify funding or penalties. Implementation may impose modest costs on hospitals to post signs or integrate electronic signage; the State (Department of Health and Attorney General) would incur costs to design and produce standardized materials. Exact fiscal impact would depend on design choices and whether state funds are provided.
Other notes
- The bill text supplements Title 52 of the Revised Statutes (administration of government).
- Related/companion measures are listed (e.g., S-4025, S-6961 and prior-session bills).
- Sponsor and sponsor lists in the provided materials are inconsistent; committee reprint lists Assemblywoman Shaniqua Speight and others as sponsors, while one metadata line lists Michael Tannousis. The summary above follows the bill content and committee reports.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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