U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is part of a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress that introduced the Victims of Crime Act Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act.
The legislation will support victim service programs by preventing future cuts to already diminished federal victim service grants.
Fitzpatrick said, “VOCA grants are a major source of federal funding for thousands of vital victim service providers across the nation, including programs that serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking and drunk driving. Funding for VOCA’s Crime Victims Fund has continued to decline, and this problem has only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation will fix VOCA funding mechanisms and implement better support for our state victim compensation programs — therefore, providing victims in our communities with the hope and crucial, lifesaving services they need and deserve.”
VOCA grants also fund victim compensation, including paying medical bills, covering lost wages and paying for funeral costs. The grants are paid out of the Crime Victims Fund, which is funded, in turn, through federal criminal monetary penalties. Over the last several years, deposits into the CVF have dropped, leading to corresponding cuts in grants to victim service providers.
The bill would require DOJ to deposit all monetary penalties, including from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements, into the CVF.
In addition, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 will make improvements to victim compensation and services, including bolstering state victim compensation funds; allowing states to request a no-cost extension from the attorney general to ensure states can distribute victim service grants without being penalized; requiring state VOCA administrators to waive the 20% match requirement for victim service subgrantees; allowing state VOCA administrators to waive subgrantee match requirements at their discretion after the aforementioned waiver expires; instructing the Office for Victims of Crime to not deduct restitution payments recovered by state victim compensation funds when calculating victim compensation awards; and providing flexibility for state compensation programs to waive the requirement to promote victim cooperation with law enforcement if good cause is established by the program.
In 2020, all 56 state and territorial attorneys general sent a letter to Congress in support of the deposits fix. The VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 is supported by more than 1,670 national, regional, state, territorial and local organizations.
