July 22, 2024
Strikes 34 V.I.C. ch. 8, § 206(a) and replaces it with a new subsection (a) providing that the Government of the Virgin Islands shall pay for forensic medical examinations conducted on victims, including a child victim, of rape or unlawful sexual contact in any degree, “without regard to whether the victim cooperates with law enforcement, or has health insurance.” Removes the law-enforcement-cooperation and insurance conditions on payment for sexual assault forensic examinations, aligning the territory with the Violence Against Women Act forensic-exam payment condition and removing a cost barrier to collection of sexual assault evidence kits.