ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act

Critical funding for victim services (including ROAR) is in jeopardy, which could endanger millions of victims if Congress doesn’t act now. Victim safety and healing are on the line.

None of the Maryland US Senators or Representatives have yet to co-sign this crucial bill.

Funding for victim services (such as ROAR) from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) was cut by 40% last year and is facing potential further cuts unless Congress acts now. VOCA grants are the primary source of federal funding for victim services, including services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking, gun violence, elder abuse, drunk driving, and other crimes.

These cuts are catastrophic. If Congress does not take action, programs will close, and victims will lose access to lifesaving services. The cuts are due to historically low deposits into VOCA’s Crime Victims Fund, which comprises monetary penalties associated with federal criminal convictions, deferred prosecution agreements, and non-prosecution agreements.

H.R.8061/S.4514, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, addresses part of this shortfall by depositing a new source of funding into the Crime Victims Fund: leftover money from False Claims Act cases.

Please urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024 (CVFSA) (S.4514/H.R.8061) this year. We’re up to 134 cosponsors in the House for H.R. 8061 – let’s get to 218 by the end of September and get this bill to the President by the end of the year.

This legislation would refill the coffers of VOCA funds from the federal government to the states, which then gets subgranted to organizations like ROAR.

Please tell your representatives:

“Programs funded by the Victims of Crime Act serve millions of crime victims nationwide every year. I urge you to cosponsor the CVF Stabilization Act to reverse the fiscal year 2024 40% cut and prevent even more future cuts.”

CALL AND EMAIL your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor and work with leadership to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.

U.S. SENATORS FROM MARYLAND

Bnjamin L. Cardin (D) Email link ​​* Phone: (202) 224-4524

Chris Van Hollen (D) Email link * Phone: (202) 224-4654

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES FROM MARYLAND

Andrew P. Harris (R), 1st Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-5311

C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III (D), 2nd Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-3061

John P. Sarbanes (D), 3rd Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-4016

Glenn F. Ivey (D), 4th Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-8699

Steny H. Hoyer (D), 5th Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-4131

David Trone (D), 6th Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-2721

Kweisi Mfume (D), 7th Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-4741

Jamin B. (Jamie) Raskin (D), 8th Congressional District Email link * Phone: (202) 225-5341

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Tag your members of Congress in social media posts urging them to take action to save Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding. Here is a sample post:
URGENT: The Victims of Crime Act (#VOCA) has been cut by 40%, endangering millions of victims and survivors of violence. Tell Congress to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. #PassCVFSA

Click here to automatically tweet your members of Congress (please personalize the tweet to increase impact).

To find the Twitter handle of your Senators and Representative, visit this link. 

Use hashtags: #PassCVFSA #VOCA

Please act now and share widely! Thank you.