Golden urges Congressional leaders to restore Crime Victims Fund

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) joined 47 of his colleagues in a letter to Congressional leaders calling for the inclusion of language that would ensure crime victim support receives the funding it needs in the FY2024 budget. 

The Crime Victims Fund (CVF)  receives no taxpayer dollars, and is funded entirely by criminal fines, fees, and other revenue from the justice system. The fund supports programs at the federal, state, and local level that serve an average of 3.7 million victims each year throughout the United States. 

It is slated to receive a 37 percent cut in 2024, reducing it to $1.2 billion — its lowest level in more than 20 years. An amendment with bipartisan support would restore the fund, using revenue received through the False Claims Act, which imposes civil penalties on entities that defraud the federal government. 

“A one-time infusion of funds of this magnitude would ensure the programs victims depend upon can continue to provide necessary care, support, and assistance,” Golden and the other lawmakers wrote in a letter sent to Congressional leaders and top appropriators in both parties in the House and Senate. 

“These services are essential interventions to mitigate the impact of, and important resources to prevent, the experience of child abuse, elder abuse, domestic and sexual violence, exploitation, homicide, and suicide,” said Francine Garland Stark, executive director at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, which supports eight regional domestic violence resource centers across the state. The Crime Victims Fund “is the single largest source of funding in the contract that MCEDV has with the Dept. of Human Services to support the 8 regional Domestic Violence Resource Centers providing comprehensive services for adults and children seeking safety and support. It is the core funding on which everything else is built.”

A copy of the letter can be found here. 

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