1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing on behalf of victim-survivors and our local agency regarding the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024 (H.R. 8061/S. 4514). This proposal provides additional and critical funding to the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), allowing more resources to be distributed to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants to states. VOCA is the largest source of funding for victim support services nationwide. In Iowa, VOCA funds support law enforcement, attorneys, and local agencies serving victims of all types of crime including domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, human trafficking, and homicide. VOCA, created by Congress in 1984 to provide grants to state and local agencies supporting crime victims, relies on funding from the CVF, which is non-taxpayer money generated by fines and penalties collected from violations of federal law. Deposits to the CVF began shrinking in the past few years so Congress has had to reduce VOCA grants to states. The catastrophic 42% cut to Iowa’s FY24 VOCA Victim Assistance grant means a loss of $5.4 million to our largest source of victim assistance funding. This massive loss in funds after multiple years of declining federal funding and increasing demand for services will decimate the capacity of Iowa agencies to provide current levels of support to victims and more victims will have nowhere to go for help. Crime victims seeking support are being turned away right now and access to services in rural areas and to the post-crisis stabilization support services most victims request is already undermined by lack of resources.For programs like the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP), a cut of this magnitude will result in more than 300 adult victim-survivors and nearly 150 child victim-survivors being unable to receive the often life-saving services they provide. Staff positions are not being filled and agencies have no resources to hire staff or pay enough to maintain current staff. Which means the services most victims want like housing assistance, emergency shelter, and legal system support cannot be consistently offered. Thank you to Representatives Hinson, Miller-Meeks, and Nunn, for co-sponsoring the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. I urge our other Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor and quickly vote to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act to help meet the needs of Iowa crime victims. Your support ensures that when crime victims are brave enough to ask for help, it will be available and Iowans lives will be saved! Thank you.