It’s not every day that Congress is given such a clear opportunity to knock one out of the park.
However, today’s political climate can make it challenging and often blur those lines for clear opportunities, especially in election years. And yet, despite the politicization of every issue under the sun, one bill has been introduced that everyone, regardless of party affiliation or ideology, can agree is a must.
Last month, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), joined by Reps. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), introduced H.R. 8061, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act to their peers on the House floor. The act calls attention to the threat facing victims of violent crimes and asks for support to save the fund that offers those victims justice and healing. The act is a critical lifeline to Victims of Crime Act grant recipients.
Victims of Crime Act recipients are a constellation of victim service agencies in communities around the country, all providing services to help victims recover from crime. These recipients include the nation’s 961 children’s advocacy centers, helping children and families recover from child sexual abuse.
And, while Victims of Crime Act grant funds are dwindling, the needs and numbers of children needing Children’s Advocacy Centers services are not. In 2023, Children’s Advocacy Centers provided services to 381,364 children.
Since its inception, the Victims of Crime Act has always been limited by its statutory sources of funding: fines, forfeited bonds and settlements from federal criminal prosecutions. Now, due to a combination of shifting federal enforcement priorities and after-effects from the pandemic, the pot has been drying up for years.
This year, those cuts culminated in a $600 million reduction in victim services funding. That means fewer financial safeguards, legal resources and victim advocates available to help victims of violent crimes get their lives back.
As the Crime Victims Fund has dried up and Victims of Crime Act grants have correspondingly been cut, Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country have been forced to cut down on their resources, availability and services—or sometimes shut their doors, all for lack of funds. The loss of the Children’s Advocacy Center’s services is a tragic blow to the youth and families that rely on them during an unspeakably difficult time.
What we do now matters. Without significant supplementation or a real solution, the fund will soon dwindle to nothing. The benefit of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act is that this bill will redirect a portion of the funds collected under the False Claims Act to the very fund that supports services to crime victims.
This bipartisan group of representatives who sponsored the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act are focused on the right thing, and they’re betting, with all the facts, their peers in the House and then the U.S. Senate will realize the urgency of this issue among all the many challenges they work to address every day.
The nationwide movement of Children’s Advocacy Centers now turns to you, and everyone who cares about a child and their parent having somewhere to turn on the worst day of their life, and we ask: raise your voice. Give kids a shot at the future they deserve. This isn’t a partisan issue, this isn’t a talking point, this is a vital support system countless families rely on nationwide and it deserves to be well-funded.
To be sure, passing the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act won’t resolve every issue with victim services funding. But it will be a big win for America’s hurting children. Don’t let them lose their lifeline.
Teresa Huizar is CEO of the National Children’s Alliance.