[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31067-31069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08908]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 24, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 31067]]


                Proclamation 10730 of April 19, 2024

                
National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each year, millions of Americans become victims of 
                crime and acts of violence. During National Crime 
                Victims' Rights Week, we recommit to pursuing justice 
                for victims and providing them with the support and 
                resources needed to heal from the emotional, 
                psychological, physical, and financial scars of those 
                traumatic experiences. We continue our work to prevent 
                crime before it occurs. Every American deserves to know 
                that they, their families, and their communities are 
                safe and free from violence and crime.

                Since I first came to office, my Administration has 
                been working tirelessly with law enforcement, crime 
                victims, and other community leaders across the country 
                to keep Americans safe. Together, we have made historic 
                progress. Last year, the United States had one of the 
                lowest rates of all violent crime in more than 50 
                years. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery 
                all dropped sharply, as did burglary, property crime, 
                and theft.

                Reducing violence and crime is a top priority for my 
                Administration. We helped cities, counties, and States 
                invest over $15 billion in fighting crime and 
                preventing violence. We made the largest-ever Federal 
                investment in public safety, enabling law enforcement 
                to better serve their communities--helping to keep 
                everyone safe. Our investment also has been used to 
                implement proven crime-prevention strategies like 
                community violence intervention programs that leverage 
                community leaders and formerly incarcerated people to 
                work with young people and those at most risk of 
                violence, intervening before it is too late with 
                culturally competent strategies.

                As a United States Senator, I supported the law that 
                established the Crime Victims Fund, which directly 
                compensates victims and finances victim assistance 
                services. As President, I signed a law to replenish and 
                strengthen the fund so that victims can continue to 
                access the resources they need.

                My Administration is also supporting survivors of 
                gender-based violence. As a Senator, I wrote the 
                Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which brought 
                survivors' stories into the forefront of the American 
                consciousness and combatted the scourge of gender-based 
                violence in America. VAWA has helped fund helplines, 
                shelters, and rape crisis centers; offered survivors 
                housing and legal assistance; and trained law 
                enforcement agencies and courts on ways the justice 
                system could better assist survivors of gender-based 
                violence. When we reauthorized VAWA in 2022, we 
                expanded Tribal courts' jurisdiction so that non-Native 
                perpetrators of sexual assault, sex trafficking, 
                stalking, and child abuse can be prosecuted for the 
                crimes they commit on Tribal lands. VAWA newly 
                empowered individuals whose intimate visual images are 
                disclosed without their consent to take perpetrators to 
                court through a Federal civil cause of action. This 
                year, I worked with the Congress to increase VAWA's 
                funding to its highest level in history. Now, more 
                survivors have access to trauma-informed care, 
                including those in the LGBTQI+ community and from rural 
                areas. Additionally, I have spearheaded historic 
                military justice reforms to better protect victims of 
                crime in our military and ensure that prosecutorial 
                decisions in cases of gender-based violence are fully 
                independent from the chain of command.

[[Page 31068]]

                To address the gun violence epidemic in America, I 
                signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most 
                significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. It helps 
                prevent domestic abusers from purchasing guns, tackles 
                gun trafficking, provides funding for implementation of 
                red flag laws, expands background checks, and 
                strengthens crisis intervention programs and youth 
                mental health programs. I also formed the first-ever 
                White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and my 
                Administration has taken more executive actions to stop 
                the flow of illegal guns than any other Administration 
                in history. This new office is coordinating the first 
                centralized Federal response to mass shootings and 
                surges in gun violence in order to help victims and 
                communities address the economic, physical, and 
                emotional effects of gun violence.

                Additionally, my Administration is cracking down on 
                hate-fueled violence. Early on, I signed into law the 
                COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that includes the Khalid 
                Jabara-Heather Heyer NO HATE Act. These legislative 
                actions help government agencies track and prosecute 
                hate-fueled acts of violence against people from 
                marginalized groups and establish State-run hotlines 
                through which victims can report hate crimes. For the 
                first time in history, we made lynching a Federal hate 
                crime through the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. We also 
                hosted the first-of-its-kind United We Stand Summit--
                bringing together civic, faith, philanthropic, and 
                business leaders to ensure that hate has no safe harbor 
                in America.

                I also signed a historic Executive Order to advance 
                effective and accountable community policing and 
                strengthen trust between law enforcement and the 
                communities they serve. My Administration provided 
                States billions of dollars to purchase body-worn 
                cameras, reduce court backlogs, and support crime 
                victims. We are investing in more crisis responders who 
                are able to de-escalate situations and respond to non-
                violent crimes. In addition, we are hiring more Federal 
                prosecutors so justice for victims is not delayed, 
                recruiting more United States Marshals to apprehend 
                violent fugitives, and investing in better technology 
                and training to clear court backlogs and solve murders.

                This National Crime Victims' Rights Week, as each of us 
                asks, ``How should I help?'' let us recommit to doing 
                all we can to prevent crime and violence, support 
                victims and help them secure the justice and healing 
                they deserve, and make our Nation safer and more secure 
                for all Americans. For more information on the rights 
                of crime victims, visit Crimevictims.gov.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 21 
                through April 27, 2024, as National Crime Victims' 
                Rights Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this 
                week by participating in events that raise awareness of 
                victims' rights and services and by volunteering to 
                serve and support victims in their time of need.

[[Page 31069]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-08908
Filed 4-23-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P