[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H623-H626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CRIME VICTIMS FUND STABILIZATION ACT OF 2025
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 909) to temporarily provide additional deposits into the
Crime Victims Fund, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 909
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Crime Victims Fund
Stabilization Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEPOSITS IN CRIME VICTIMS FUND.
Section 1402(b)(6) of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34
U.S.C. 20101(b)(6)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) beginning on the date of enactment of the Crime
Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 through fiscal year
2029, sections 3729 through 3731 of title 31, United States
Code (commonly known as the `False Claims Act'), provided
that--
``(i) amounts necessary to remunerate qui tam plaintiffs as
described in subsection (d) of section 3730 of title 31,
United States Code, are not available for deposit to the
Fund; and
``(ii) amounts necessary to reimburse the United States
Government for the damages which the Government sustains from
acts described in subsection (a) of section 3729 of title 31,
United States Code, are not available for deposit to the
Fund.''.
SEC. 3. INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT.
Not later than September 30, 2028, the Inspector General of
the Department of Justice shall submit to the Committee on
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, the Committee
on the Judiciary of the Senate, the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report containing
an audit of the Crime Victims Fund, as established by section
1402 of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101).
Such audit shall include--
(1) information relating to the sustainability of deposits
into the Crime Victims Fund;
(2) the effect of the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims
Fund Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-27) on the balance of the
Crime Victims Fund, the long-term stability of the Crime
Victims Fund, and the use of funds obligated out of the Crime
Victims Fund;
(3) the effect of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act
of 2025 on the balance of the Crime Victims Fund, the long-
term stability of the Crime Victims Fund, and the use of
funds obligated out of the Crime Victims Fund;
(4) legislative recommendations for improving the
effectiveness of the Crime Victims Fund;
(5) administrative or management recommendations for
improving the oversight and administration of the Crime
Victims Fund; and
(6) the methodology used to conduct the audit to include--
(A) the data sources relied upon;
(B) any limitations realized during the audit; and
(C) the criteria applied in evaluating the long-term
stability of the Crime Victims Fund.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
General Leave
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am beyond proud to rise in support of my bill H.R.
909, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.
This bipartisan legislation will provide critical support to over 7
million crime victims throughout every State in this country, without
spending a single taxpayer dollar.
Mr. Speaker, across the United States, domestic violence shelters,
[[Page H624]]
rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers are in dire need of
support. These organizations serve the most vulnerable in our society:
battered spouses, rape survivors, and children, even toddlers who have
been sexually abused and exploited.
As elected officials, it is our duty to ensure these victims receive
the support, care, and, equally important, the justice they deserve.
Tragically, over the past 8 years, across multiple administrations,
the balance of the Crime Victims Fund, or CVF, has plummeted,
jeopardizing Federal support for these victims.
This fund does not use taxpayer dollars. It is solely financed by the
fines, settlements, and other monetary penalties collected from Federal
criminal prosecutions. From 2017 to 2023, the balance of CVF dropped by
over 92 percent. It was almost completely wiped out.
Congress attempted to correct this decline in 2021 with the
bipartisan VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, but Federal
resources are still not meeting the needs of victims in our Nation.
Child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters have been
forced to triage their services or, even worse, to close entirely.
In 2024, my home State of Missouri saw a $10 million cut, over 40
percent, Mr. Speaker, of its Federal support for victims of violent
crime, gone. This is unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker, I got to work, and over the past 2 years, I have worked
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, with law enforcement,
with prosecutors, and with victim advocacy groups to craft this
legislation and build an overwhelming coalition of support.
Today, with 327 bipartisan cosponsors, this bill, the Crime Victims
Fund Stabilization Act, will be the most widely supported piece of
legislation considered on the House floor so far this Congress. I would
like to emphasize that for just a second. With 327 bipartisan
cosponsors, this bill is the most widely supported piece of legislation
to receive a vote in Congress.
{time} 1520
My bill uses nontaxpayer dollars to ensure vital programs can survive
and victims receive the assistance necessary to heal, recover, and help
law enforcement hold offenders accountable.
For years, the CVF had been financed by criminal monetary penalties,
but those resources are no longer sufficient. With my bill, the CVF
will also receive, through fiscal year 2029, the unobligated civil
penalties collected through antifraud law.
One of the most prominent Federal antifraud laws is the False Claims
Act. The False Claims Act allows the Federal Government to sue entities
that defraud government programs and seek up to three times the
damages. For example, if an entity defrauds the Federal Government out
of $1 million, the government can sue that entity for up to $3 million.
If the government wins, $1 million is returned to the defrauded agency,
up to 30 percent is rewarded to any relevant whistleblower, when
necessary, and the remaining leftover funds are unobligated.
The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act only redirects these
leftover, unobligated funds to the CVF. We include specific protections
for government reimbursement and whistleblower rewards. Those dollars
remain untouched. This bill simply ensures that the surplus damages
collected from those found liable for fraud in Federal court are used
to support victims of crime.
This temporary infusion of resources will stabilize the CVF, support
both victims and law enforcement investigations, while also retaining
the fund's original intent of being financed by the legal fines from
bad actors, not tax dollars.
This commonsense legislation must pass Congress as quickly as
possible because every day that we wait, victims of the most horrific
crimes across our country are left in need.
I urge all of my colleagues in both Chambers to support this bill,
and, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) so
much for this piece of legislation. I thank her for all the really good
hard work that she has done in rallying the troops to do the right
thing. I thank her very much for taking care of our victims and making
sure they have these provisions. I, too, have been a victim, so I thank
her personally.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 909, the Crime Victims Fund
Stabilization Act of 2025.
Established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide funding
for State victim compensation and assistance programs, the Crime
Victims Fund does not rely on taxpayer dollars. Instead, it is funded
by fines, monetary penalties, and assessments paid by convicted Federal
defendants, as well as forfeited bail bonds and other gifts and
donations.
For four decades, the Crime Victims Fund has been a lifeline,
providing money through grants to States, local governments,
individuals, and other entities. It supports rape crisis centers,
domestic violence shelters, child advocacy programs, and services for
survivors like me of homicide, assault, and human trafficking in every
State and in every territory. It pays for counseling, emergency
shelters, legal aid, and lost wages.
In short, the Crime Victims Fund is the bedrock of our Nation's
promise to help victims rebuild their lives, serving nearly 4 million
victims of crime every year. That is a staggering number, so I want to
say it again: 4 million victims of crime every year.
Over the last decade, the fund has faced a severe and sustained
crisis. Stemming from changes in prosecution practices, revenues have
plummeted. Meanwhile, the needs of victims have only grown.
In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of a devastating
cycle. Annual distributions to States for victim services and
assistance have been cut by 40 percent, forcing programs to close their
doors, lay off their staff, and turn victims away in their greatest and
most desperate hours of need.
H.R. 909 is a necessary and responsible solution that is not just
fiscally sound but profoundly just. This bill would address the
fluctuations in deposits that continue to threaten the fund and our
ability to provide vital support to victims of crime.
It would provide critical stabilization of the fund by authorizing an
infusion of unobligated funds collected through the False Claims Act to
halt the immediate bleeding. This stopgap measure will prevent further
catastrophic cuts to victim services, ensuring that hotlines remain
open and advocates remain at their posts while we implement and
continue to work on a long-term fix.
It includes essential oversight and accountability measures. By
requiring regular reporting that includes an audit, we can guarantee
transparency in how these funds are being managed and distributed, and
we can be sure that the money reaches frontline organizations that are
doing the hard work on the ground. This is lifesaving work that they
are doing, with efficiency and integrity.
Speaking as a beneficiary of the good works done as a result of the
existence of the Crime Victims Fund and a proud cosponsor of H.R. 909,
there is truly an urgent need to pass this legislation. Without Federal
funding, critical victim services are simply going to vanish.
I am grateful to the sponsors of this bill and to all of our
colleagues for their bipartisanship in doing what is right to help our
victims and for their efforts.
I urge all of my colleagues to support the Crime Victims Fund
Stabilization Act, and, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Moran), a co-lead of this legislation.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 909, the
Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. I thank Congresswoman Ann Wagner
for her leadership on this legislation because it reflects a principle
this body has long shared: When the justice system holds wrongdoers
accountable, those resources should help rebuild the lives of the
innocent victims of the wrongdoers.
Congress created the Crime Victims Fund through the Victims of Crime
Act
[[Page H625]]
of 1984 to support victims of violent crimes through counseling,
advocacy, and recovery services.
{time} 1530
Importantly, this fund is financed by fines and penalties paid for by
those convicted of Federal crimes. It is not taxpayer dollars. That
structure reflects that simple, but powerful, idea that accountability
should serve justice.
Today, however, that promise is under strain. According to the Office
for Victims of Crime, the Crime Victims Fund ended fiscal year 2024
with a balance of just $1.2 billion, a 90 percent decline since 2017.
As a result, victim assistance programs nationwide face a $600 million
funding shortfall. For organizations serving survivors of domestic
violence, child abuse, and sexual assault, including programs across
northeast Texas, where I represent, this means fewer services and, in
some cases, the risk of shutting the doors of organizations who are
helping to bring restoration and healing to victims and families.
H.R. 909 reflects a straightforward principle: The justice system can
both punish lawbreakers and support victims. There are no new taxes, no
new spending, and no cost to the taxpayer, only a responsible use of
fines collected in judicial proceedings to ensure victims are on a
pathway to healing. The bill temporarily redirects unobligated funds
collected under the False Claims Act into the Crime Victims Fund
through 2029. Over the past 2 years alone, False Claims Act settlements
have totaled nearly $5 billion, and after defrauded agencies and
whistleblowers are made whole, remaining funds currently sit unused.
This legislation is bipartisan because the need is bipartisan.
Victims of crime are not defined by geography or by party, and neither
should our response. H.R. 909 provides stability, preserves the
original intent of the Crime Victims Fund, and ensures that those
harmed by crime continue to receive the support they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to strongly support this
commonsense legislation.
I, again, thank Representative Wagner for her years of leadership and
dedicated work to make this a reality and for all those on both sides
of the aisle who are ardently supporting this bill.
Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Raskin).
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan
legislation, and I extend my praise to the distinguished gentlewoman
from Missouri who has demonstrated a remarkable initiative and high
octane energy in organizing the House of Representatives behind it. We
are grateful to her for her efforts and also to Mrs. McBath, who is the
ranking member on our Crime and Federal Government Surveillance
Subcommittee for her efforts in always making sure that we put crime
victims first. When we have a crime and there is a prosecution, it is
State v. defendant or people v. defendant, but what is left out of that
is the victim, and she always makes sure that we keep the victims very
much in our sights, in our minds, and in our hearts.
The Crime Victims Fund has been significantly depleted, resulting in
a $630 million cut to victim services in fiscal year 2024. Deposits
into the fund have dropped dramatically since 2018. From 2008 to 2017,
deposits were, on average, $2.56 billion annually. From 2008 through
2023, annual deposits averaged only $737 million.
So that is much greater than a 50 percent drop. There are different
reasons for this that we need to analyze and address, but in the
meantime, the consequences for VOCA grants are devastating.
These grants are the primary source of Federal funding for thousands
of victim service providers across America, including programs serving
victims of human trafficking, drunk driving, domestic violence, sexual
assault, and child abuse. These are our people, our family members, and
our community members who are suffering who need the help.
VOCA grants are funded by the statutorily created Crime Victims Fund,
which is supported by criminal fines, assessments, and penalties paid
for by convicted Federal offenders. However, these are being
progressively wiped away. Without congressional action, victim service
providers will be forced to make more dramatic cuts to critical
services while many others will simply have to close their doors.
In order to stabilize the balance of the fund and prevent further
cuts, H.R. 909 would add unobligated funds from actions brought under
the False Claims Act to the sources of revenue that are deposited into
the Fund. Deposits would be made into the Crime Victims Fund only after
whistleblowers and defrauded Federal agencies are paid first and other
preexisting obligations are satisfied.
This is a temporary change that will give Congress time to assess its
overall efficacy and conduct robust review before deciding whether to
renew, adopt an alternative remedy, or create a permanent, long-term
fix.
Mr. Speaker, I suppose you could say this is a Band-Aid solution, but
having cut my finger recently, I like Band-Aid solutions. Band-Aids are
necessary sometimes to stop the bleeding, and I think that is where we
are right now. We have an obligation to the millions of victims of
crime across the country who rely on the services made possible by the
Crime Victims Fund.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 909, and I hope all my
colleagues will do the same.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Schmidt), who is another co-lead of H.R. 909.
Mr. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to add my voice to those
thanking our colleague from Missouri for her leadership on this work.
It has been a pleasure to work with her and with our colleagues on the
other side. It has been an honor to help lead the support for what she
is trying to get done here.
Mr. Speaker, in my State, we dealt with this issue a number of years
ago, and it is a policy fight that is separate from what we are doing
here today. We actually ultimately decided to move our State-based
crime victim support programs into appropriated support from
our general fund and deposit all of these erratic streams from the
court system into the general fund so that the risk of funding was
shifted onto the State generally and not borne by those who rely on the
services in particular.
That is a discussion for another day.
I share it today because for me, at least, this brings back memories
of a time when we were wrestling with the same issue back home.
Mr. Speaker, how do you look a rape victim or a domestic violence
victim in the eye and tell them that the good folks in your community,
the advocates and the supporters of domestic violence services or rape
crisis centers or child advocacy centers who want to be there to help
you in your time of greatest need may not be there because their
government didn't pay the bills?
The lights aren't on. The staff wasn't paid, so they left. That is
where we are writ large in this subject matter, and we are there
because of the vagaries in the recovery cycle and all kinds of things
that happen in the court system that generate these revenue streams.
This is a way to put our finger in the dam until we figure out longer
term how we provide that sort of certainty.
There are a lot of different groups of crime victims. By the way,
none of them asked to be crime victims. They didn't wake up and expect
to be victimized. They have had a terrible moment thrust upon them by
somebody else's actions, and they are in a time of need where they need
help. That is what advocates do in these support services. That is what
this money goes for.
This helps a lot of different types of crime victims. I will share a
couple of moments in my last minute or so here about the work of the
child advocacy centers that this supports. I have often said in the
work I did when I was a State legal official, we did a lot of work with
crime victims, child crime victims, supporting our child advocacy
centers, and prosecuting criminal cases under State law against
offenders who committed terrible crimes against children.
I have often described it to people this way: It is not like on TV in
the crime shows.
When the victim is an 8-year-old child or a 7-year-old child, and
when what happened to them was some form of sexual abuse, the odds are
about 90-10 that the offender is somebody that the child knew and
trusted.
[[Page H626]]
It is rare that it is a stranger offense with little kids. That is
because that is how the offender got access to the child.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from Kansas.
Mr. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, on our watch, we prosecuted parents, we
prosecuted grandparents, we prosecuted ministers, and we prosecuted
coaches.
Mr. Speaker, the only evidence you have is what that child can
testify to in front of a bunch of strangers in a jury box, a judge in a
dark robe, and people in our adversarial system because you rarely have
physical evidence in these cases. We sometimes, but rarely, have
extraneous evidence.
That child has to be able to testify, or justice is never done, and
that child cannot testify if he or she has not had the support and
services of victim advocates at, for example, a child advocacy center
to bring them to the point they can tell truthfully what happened to
them.
This bill is about justice, and I am proud to support it.
Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree
that neither saving lives nor providing support to victims of crime are
partisan issues. Victimization knows no political party.
The instability of the Crime Victims Fund threatens red states as
well as blue states alike, urban centers and also rural communities
equally. Passage of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act is a
declaration of our own common values.
This bill says that our commitment to this Nation's victims is not
just a line in a budget subject to prosecutorial trends.
I would like to say when my family and I spent the 2\1/2\ years in
court that we did in Jacksonville, Florida, when my son was murdered in
November of 2012, the Crime Victims Fund of Florida helped to support
the representative and to provide the representative who spent day
after day with us making sure that we had the resources and the means
that we needed, making sure that we understood that the State of
Florida was standing there to support us in spite of the terrible
tragedy that we had suffered. That money, those funds, were allocated
from the Crime Victims Fund.
So, once again, having actually lived through this experience, I know
how important it is to make sure that we pass this legislation.
{time} 1540
It says that our first thought is to bind the wounds of the injured,
the helpless, and the innocent.
We owe it to the survivors who need counseling and stable housing to
help them sleep through the night again. We owe it to the parents who
must bury their child or their children or their loved one, such as I
have. We owe it to the countless silent sufferers who have yet to come
forward but who must know that help will be there when they need it.
This is a commonsense solution that will ensure victims have access
to the services that they need to heal, to reclaim their lives again,
and to feel secure enough to speak out about their pursuing the justice
that they deserve.
I ask all Members of this body to support this lifesaving bill. I
hope that the Senate will take it up and pass it as quickly as
possible.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I note that in 2024, child advocacy centers provided
assistance to over 370,000 children nationwide who suffered abuse. That
is 370,000 children in one year alone. For those who might not be
aware, after a child is tragically exploited or sexually assaulted by a
predator, one of the first places a victim is taken is a child advocacy
center, or CAC.
At CAC, specialized interviewers are able to work with the child
victim to not only make them feel safe and secure but also to get vital
information that can be used by law enforcement to identify and arrest
the offender. These often horrifying details are then used by our
prosecutors, who stand firmly with this legislation, to ensure the
predator is put behind bars.
My most recent visit to a CAC was in October last year. I had the
pleasure of meeting with the executive director of the Missouri Network
Against Child Abuse, Jessica Seitz, and her team at the Union,
Missouri, child advocacy center.
The work these incredible individuals do every single day to protect
and help children going through unspeakable trauma deserves the highest
recognition. I want to ensure that all of them are recognized on the
floor of this Chamber for what they do in Missouri and beyond. I also
want to recognize all of the CACs throughout the United States that
open their doors every day to help those who need it most.
The legislation before all of us today will turn our gratitude into
action, Mr. Speaker. We will get these organizations, the amazing
people who work there, and the children who rely upon them the
resources they so desperately need.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I first thank my co-leads for their help in
pursuing and pushing this legislation forward: Representatives Derek
Schmidt, who we heard from, and Nathaniel Moran, Stephanie Bice, Jim
Costa, and my dear, dear friend across the aisle, Congresswoman Debbie
Dingell, who I wish could have joined us today for this debate.
I also thank the House Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations
Committee, who had a strong hand in this, and Leader Scalise for
working with my team to bring this bill to the floor. Of course, I
thank Congresswoman Lucy McBath for her tremendous support and her
testimony to just the terrible injustice and travesty that she has
endured. I thank her for her support and her management of this piece
of legislation, H.R. 909, across the aisle.
Through our collaboration, we were able to include strong language
ensuring a comprehensive audit of the CVF will be delivered to
Congress. The information from this audit will help us do our jobs as
policymakers and properly plan for the future of the CVF and avoid
another crisis like this.
To the dozens and dozens and dozens of supporting organizations that
stood with me in this fight, including the National Children's
Alliance, the National District Attorneys Association, RAINN, Covenant
House, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the National
Network to End Sexual Violence, and the National Association of
Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Mr. Speaker, our work is not done. We can and must get this bill
through the Senate, as we discussed across the aisle, and signed into
law. It has been an honor to lead this effort, and I am humbled to have
gained cosponsors from well over a majority of the United States House
Republican Conference and 75 percent of the entire House of
Representatives.
This could not have been accomplished without dedication, teamwork,
and a true get-stuff-done attitude. Representing our constituents in
this Chamber is not a job, Mr. Speaker. It is a calling. There is no
higher calling than helping the most vulnerable in our society.
I, again, urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R.
909, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 909, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________