FY 2013 Budget
May 8, 2012 - As the House takes up its Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill which would set the 2013 VOCA cap at $720 million, 51 state Attorneys General called upon Congress to raise the VOCA cap to $1 billion. Led by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Washington State Attorney General (and President of the National Association of Attorneys General) Robert McKenna, these state top law enforcement officials said in a letter to Congressional appropriators:
The Crime Victims Fund supports Federal grants that provide essential services for crime victims. Not only are crime victims entitled to these services, but their cooperation is indispensable to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system....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 purposes for which Congress intended.
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.
Two congressional committees have rejected the Administration's 2013 proposal to divert $365 million from the Crime Victims Fund to support other, non-VOCA authorized programs. Instead, the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed raising the VOCA cap from $705 million to $775 million and the House Appropriations Committee has proposed raising the cap to $720 million. However, because of the new, additional burden of using program funds for Justice Department administrative costs, higher VOCA caps are unlikely to provide additional resources for victim services. In fact, the $720 million proposed by the House committee would still mean that 2013 VOCA assistance grants would be 10 percent less than grants in 2011.
While a cap of at least $1 billion is still needed to help victim assistance programs provide essential services, any additional costs for DOJ administrative expenses should be based on actual costs and allocated among grant offices and grant programs on a fair and equitable basis. That was not done in 2012 which meant that state VOCA assistance programs contributed a disproportionately large share of those costs. (See M&A Factsheet).
FY 2012 Budget
Congress has enacted the FY 2012 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) appropriations which set the VOCA cap at $705 million, the same level as the two previous years. However, the Office of Justice Programs is now required to support its management and administrative expenses with grant program funding. 2012 state VOCA victim assistance grants will total $377 million, which is a reduction of $48 million (11.3 percent) from 2011 and 30 percent less in real dollars than 2000.Click here for more information on VOCA funding.
Cornerstone for Justice: Byrne JAG and its Impact on the Criminal Justice System. This report, issued by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA), is a primer on the criminal justice system as seen through the lens of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program. It describes current innovations in the various segments of the criminal justice system and Byrne JAG's role in spurring those practices. Each section contains statistics and innovative program examples from the states.
NNEDV 2010 Census
The National Network to End Domestic Violence is excited to share the results of the 5th annual Domestic Violence Counts: a 24 hour census of Domestic Violence Shelters and Services. For the full 2010 report and state summaries please go to www.nnedv.org/censusIN JUST ONE DAY:
- A record 1,746 (91%) participating local domestic violence programs participated.
- Assisted 70,648 adults and children through shelter, transitional housing, and advocacy
- Answered 22,292 hotline calls, over 16 calls every minute
- Trained 30,134 attendees at 1,240 community education sessions
Unfortunately, 9,541 requests for services went unmet because of a lack of resources or staffing. Sixty percent (60%) of the unmet requests were for emergency shelter or transitional housing and 40% of the unmet requests were for non-residential services.
As communities continue to experience job loss and decreased community resources, 1,441 (82%) programs reported a rise in demand for services, while at the same time, 1,351 (77%) of programs reported a decrease in funding.
For more information, including the full report with compelling quotes from advocates, state-by-state data summaries, and Frequently Asked Questions, go to www.nnedv.org/census
