September 10th - Day of Action for Crime Victims Fund

Next Tuesday, September 10th, Felony Murder Elimination Projects asks our supporters to join us in advocacy for a national day of action in support of HR 8061 - Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024, sponsored by Ann Wagner (R, MO-02). This federal bill will direct excess funding from the False Claims Act to the Crime Victims Fund. There are over 134 House co-sponsors and 2 in the Senate, Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), so we want to help increase co-sponsorship and bring national attention to this important bill.

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) was signed into law in 1984 and created the Crime Victims Fund (CVF). The CVF comprises monetary penalties associated with federal criminal convictions and, since July of 2021, federal criminal deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements. VOCA is the primary source of federal grant funding for victim services, including services for survivors of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, attempted homicide, drunk/drug-impaired driving, and other crimes. It also matches 75% of eligible state victim compensation funding. Every year, Congress decides how much money to release from the CVF as part of the annual appropriations process. VOCA is not funded by taxpayers.

Critical funding for victim services is still in jeopardy and can endanger victims if Congress doesn't act on this legislation now. Helping victims heal and re-establishing a sense of safety is at risk. A 40% cut to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding is forcing victim service programs to reduce or eliminate services, lay off staff, and, in some cases, close their doors.

Join us alongside local, state, and national organizations on Tuesday, September 10 for a national day of action to urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024 (CVFSA) (S.4514/H.R.8061) this year. The goal is to get to 218 sponsors by the end of September and get this bill to President Joe Biden by the end of the year for his signature.

You can take these actions in support on Tuesday, September 10th:

• Call and email your members of Congress (Find your Congresspersons page) and ask them to cosponsor and work with leadership to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.
• Tag your members of Congress in social media posts (Members of Congress Social Media lookups) urging them to take action to save Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding, using hashtags #PassCVFSA #VOCA
• Write an op-ed or a letter to the editor or pitch a story to a local journalist. 

You can use this CVF Stabilization Act Social Media Toolkit (opens in Google Docs) for more information about HR 8061, including sample tweets, call scripts, and downloadable social media graphics.

Again and always, we are thankful for the tireless advocacy of our supporters who work diligently to make our communities safer and a place to thrive for all in the pursuit of a fairer criminal justice system.