[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 26, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about one of the novel concepts 
that Congress has come up with over the years. It goes back to the 
Reagan administration and a bipartisan bill signed by President Reagan, 
the VOCA Act was established. It is called the Victims of Crime Act. 
It's a novel idea in that convicted felons in Federal court who are 
assessed fees and fines must pay those fees and fines into a fund. That 
fund then is saved and reserved for victims of crime for restitution. 
It also establishes and takes care of domestic violence shelters where 
spouses can hide away from those abusers. It establishes rape crisis 
coalition centers. It promotes and sends money to the victim advocates 
throughout the United States who go to court with victims of crime, 
especially in violent crime. It does many good things. And over the 
years, because our Federal judges have continued to fine and assess 
greater penalties to criminals, that VOCA fund, as of today, is $1.7 
billion, money contributed by criminals that goes to crime victims. 
What a wonderful idea. And let me make it clear, this is not taxpayer 
money. Taxpayers didn't fund this. Criminals did. Criminals paying the 
rent on the courthouse, paying for the system that they have created.
  So what is the problem? The problem is, Mr. Speaker, that that fund, 
every year, that's administered by the Federal Government continues to 
be robbed by other bureaucrats and continues to be less money that's 
available for crime victims. This year we have $1.7 billion in the 
fund. Last year $635 million of that was used for crime victims, but 
this year the fund is being cut by the bureaucrats to $590 million. 
That's not a lot of money, but it means that victims shelters 
throughout the country will be closed, that these rape crisis coalition 
centers will be closed because they're barely keeping the lights on.
  So why is that happening, Mr. Speaker? I do not know.
  I do know that the Justice Department now is going to charge a 
surcharge on the victims fund of 5.5 percent to administer the fund. 
They are doing so without the approval of Congress. They have no right 
to take $30 million to pay for their own bureaucracy. That's not 
authorized by Congress.
  We also know that the administration wants to take part of that money 
and apply it to other programs out there.
  Once again, this is not taxpayer money. It's money that belongs to 
victims. And the Federal Government and, specifically, the Justice 
Department and the Federal bureaucrats need to keep their hands off 
that money, because it's not their money. It belongs to victims of 
crime.
  Mr. Speaker, victims of crime do not have a lobbyist up here in 
Washington, DC, a high-dollar lobbyist advocating on their behalf. They 
expect us, Members of Congress, to be their lobbyist, and it's 
important that we do not let the bureaucrats, the robber barons take 
money out of that VOCA fund and apply it to other programs.
  Find that money somewhere else. This money belongs to crime victims. 
It should not be robbed by the bureaucrats. It should be left alone. 
And, if anything, we ought to raise how much money we take out of that 
fund for victims of crime.
  It's $1.7 billion this year. Next year it's going to be $1.9 billion 
criminals contribute to that fund. And yet our government continues to 
let less and less money be applied to victims. We have more crime 
victims in this country than we did last year, and we need victims 
assistance.
  The Victims of Crime Act is a good idea. Let's leave it alone and 
quit robbing it to pay for other Federal programs. And if the Federal 
Government needs money to pay for these other programs, take money out 
of foreign aid or something. But leave victims alone.
  Victims are a unique breed of people in our country, Mr. Speaker, and 
it's our responsibility to take care of them and make sure that they 
get the compensation they need, paid for by criminals who commit crimes 
against them.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________