[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6712]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE ``VICTIMS OF CRIME FAIRNESS ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2005

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National 
Victims of Crime Week and to introduce legislation to help crime 
victims and their families.
  The Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, was a tremendous victory in the 
fight to aid those affected by crime. It established a trust fund 
composed of criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees and 
special assessments collected by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, U.S. 
Courts and Federal Bureau of Prisons. These dollars come from federal 
criminals, not from taxpayers.
  Money from this fund is used for a variety of services such as crisis 
intervention, emergency shelter, emergency transportation, counseling, 
and criminal justice advocacy. There are approximately 4,400 agencies 
that depend upon VOCA to provide services to 3.6 million crime victims 
a year. Currently, VOCA is the only federal program that supports 
services to victims of all types of crimes including homicide 
fatalities, domestic violence, child abuse, drunk driving, elder 
financial exploitation, identity theft, rape, and robbery. These 
services are essential to helping people cope with their victimization 
and move on with their lives.
  Sadly, a spending cap was installed on the VOCA trust fund. In fiscal 
year 2005, over $800 million was deposited into the fund. Due to the 
spending cap, only $620 million will be distributed to the states this 
year. While the balance of VOCA sits unused, state crime victim 
assistance programs struggle to remain fully funded. My legislation, 
the ``Victims of Crime Fairness Act'' would eliminate this spending cap 
and direct the money toward its original intention, helping victims of 
crime.
  My state of Connecticut loses almost $5 million a year due to the 
VOCA cap. This money could make all the difference in thousands of 
people's lives. In a letter to me, Connecticut's State Victim Advocate 
James Papillo wrote, ``The programs funded by the VOCA fund benefit 
crime victims in Connecticut through direct financial support and crime 
victim support services. These funds help crime victims when they most 
need it. Given the substantial reduction in the amount of funds 
available to the states caused by federal earmarks, and the real need 
for increased services to crime victims in Connecticut, it is clear 
that removal of the cap is necessary to ensure that Connecticut will be 
able to meet the needs of crime victims.''
  The Victims of Crime Fairness Act is common sense legislation. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in helping victims of crime by eliminating the 
VOCA fund spending cap.

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