From the GFWC Legislative Action Center:
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants provide federal funding enabling local organizations serving survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes to provide counseling, case management, crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and community-based programs.
The VOCA formula must be fixed to avoid further financial crisis and the elimination of services. Congress must enact H.R. 1652 to stabilize the Crime Victims Fund by ensuring federal financial penalties from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and used to serve victims of crime. The bill also expands services to tribal victims of crime, and waives the local matching requirement which harms many rural communities.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill with strong bipartisan support. Now it is time for the Senate to act to stabilize the Crime Victims Fund.
Contact the GFWC Legislative Action Center and let your Senator(s) know that they need to support this Act.
Deborah Bushnell
CFWC Legislative & Public Policy Chair