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Assembly Committee Passes California Homeowner Bill

California Attorney General ""Kamala Harris"":http://www.oag.ca.gov/ announced Tuesday that the Assembly Public Safety Committee passed a piece of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights designed to protect the state's homeowners from scams.

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SB 1474, authored by Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), would allow Harris to convene a special grand jury to investigate and indict perpetrators of financial crimes involving victims in more than one county, as well as crimes committed by a single defendant or multiple defendants who worked together. Under current law, fraud involving victims in different counties requires separate grand juries, and charges must be filed in every county where the crime was committed. SB 1474 would provide for the option of a special grand jury that can produce indictments for financial crimes beyond the scope of single-county grand juries.

The bill passed unanimously with bipartisan support. It had previously ""passed out of the California Senate"":http://dsnews.comarticles/california-passes-parts-of-homeowner-bill-rights-2012-05-31 May 31, also with unanimous and bipartisan support. It will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

""Scammers continue to prey on vulnerable Californians who simply want to stay in their homes,"" said Attorney General Harris. ""This legislation will create a more cohesive legal process to prosecute those who prey on Californians across county lines.""

About Author: Tory Barringer

Tory Barringer began his journalism career in early 2011, working as a writer for the University of Texas at Arlington's student newspaper before joining the DS News team in 2012. In addition to contributing to DSNews.com, he is also the online editor for DS News' sister publication, MReport, which focuses on mortgage banking news.
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