FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
May 8, 2012
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Suzanne Webb (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 1
AG STRANGE JOINS CALL FOR CONGRESS TO
INCREASE CRIME VICTIMS FUND CAP TO $1 BILLION
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Luther Strange today called on Congress
to increase the cap on the Crime Victims Fund to at least $1 billion so victims can access
the services they need. The Alabama Attorney General joined in a May 8 letter of the
National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) that was signed by 51 state and
territorial Attorneys General.
The Crime Victims Fund was created as part of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984
(VOCA) and is funded entirely through collections from criminal fines, special
assessments and other penalties paid by federal criminal offenders. These non-taxpayer
revenues have already been collected and deposited into the Fund, with a projected $7.4
billion balance for fiscal year 2012.
Every year, state VOCA victim assistance grants provide vital direct assistance
that supports more than 4,000 agencies nationwide in providing services to an average
of 3.7 million crime victims, including those from assaults, robbery, gang violence,
domestic violence and survivors of terrorist acts. VOCA helps victims with financial
assistance for medical care, mental health counseling, lost wages and funeral and burial
costs.
Congress placed a spending limit on annual Fund obligations but promised to
retain all amounts in the Fund exclusively to support crime victim services. State
VOCA assistance in 2012 will actually be cut, in large part due to the imposition of new
federal management and administrative costs. Critical programs will be funded in 2012
at a lower level than they were in 2006.
“With the demonstrated need for increased funding and more than enough
money in the Fund, now is the time to raise the cap on the Crime Victims Fund and
release additional money for the purpose for which Congress intended,” the NAAG
letter reads. “We respectfully request a 2013 VOCA cap of at least $1 billion to support
core VOCA-authorized programs without any new earmarks, set asides or uses of the
Fund.”
A copy of the NAAG letter can be found here: http://www.naag.org/sign-
on_archive.php
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501 Washington Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
