The VOCA Fix Act Is Passed!
On July 21, 2021, the Senate voted unanimously in favor of financial rescue for the cash-strapped VOCA program! For the first time in history, the votes were 100 – 0 in favor! This is a huge win for crime victims and crime victim’s services!  VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victim’s Fund Act of 2021 This bill adds a new source of revenue for the Crime Victims Fund and makes changes to formula grants supported by the fund. – Specifically, the bill directs revenues collected from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. Currently, such revenues are deposited into the general fund of the Treasury. – Additionally, the bill increases the percentage—from 60% to 75%—of state compensation payments to crime victims in the prior fiscal year used to calculate formula grants for state victim compensation programs. – Finally, the bill directs states to waive the matching requirement for recipients of state victim assistance formula grants during and for one year after a pandemic-related national emergency. – It also allows states to waive the matching requirement pursuant to a policy established by the state. The Center for Crime Victim Services thanks Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders and Congressman Welch for their part in passing this important bill! This is a huge step for victims and service providers across the country! #Crisis4Victims #VOCAFix |
Comments