OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Voca Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021

Floor Speech

Date: March 16, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Criminal Justice

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Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. A good friend in Congress for years, we are so glad to have the gentleman back.

I also thank Chairman Nadler for leading this legislation, along with so many others.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act. I am proud to co-lead this critical legislation, which will ensure that victims of serious crimes can continue to access the services that they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

The Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, grants are the primary source of support for programs dedicated to survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, child abuse, and other very traumatic crimes.

These grants are funded by Federal criminal monetary penalties, not by taxpayers. However, with the Department of Justice increasingly seeking nonprosecution and deferred-prosecution agreements instead of prosecuting Federal crimes, VOCA grants are facing catastrophic cuts.

In my own home State of Missouri, we are expecting a 25 percent cut to VOCA funds in the upcoming year if this bill is not signed into law. Missouri law enforcement and victim service providers, along with prosecutors, need Congress to enact this legislation so they can protect and care for their communities.

If we do not act swiftly to stabilize the VOCA funding, thousands of Americans will be unable to access lifesaving services. These programs have never been more important. The pandemic has put women and children, in particular, at an increased risk of abuse and domestic violence. We cannot leave victims without support during frightening and vulnerable times.

This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will help those victims recover as our justice system prosecutes the criminals responsible, which is why I am also hopeful that when the Senate passes this, we will have the opportunity to actually make this law.

I am grateful that the House is taking swift action to secure services for victims. Again, I urge my colleagues to support the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act.

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