ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
Purpose
Expands existing law that
voids any contract with a person accused of a crime for the reenactment of the
crime by including contracts for Internet or on-line presentations.
Background
Current statute (A.R.S.
13-4202) declares contracts with a person accused of a crime for the
reenactment of that crime contrary to public policy and void unless the
contract provides for payment of any monies associated with the contract to the
Industrial Commission (Commission) rather than to the accused. In the case of payment to the Commission,
the monies are then deposited by the Commission into a crime victim
account. The monies in this account are
distributed to any victim of the crime if the accused is convicted and the
victim shows, within five years, that the victim has suffered a loss as a
result of the crime and the amount of that loss. If the person accused of the crime is later found to be innocent
of the crime, monies in the crime victim account are immediately paid to that
person. After five years monies in
crime victim accounts revert to the state general fund.
Contracts with the accused
for reenactments of the crime in formats including movies, television, radio,
books, articles and live entertainment are currently void. H.B. 2148 expands this list to include
Internet or on-line presentations.
There is no anticipated
impact to the state general fund associated with this bill.
Provisions
1. Voids any contract with a person accused of a crime for the reenactment, description or depiction of a crime by Internet or on-line presentation.
2. Makes technical and conforming changes.
3. Provides for a general effective date.
House Action
JUD 2/27/01 DPA 9-0-1-0-0
EUT 3/7/01 DP 8-0-1-1-0
3rd Read 3/19/01 55-0-5-0-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 23, 2001