PRINTER'S NO. 1585
No. 243 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, CAPPELLI, CRAHALLA, DeWEESE, GINGRICH,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, MANN, MELIO, READSHAW, RUBLEY, SATHER,
TIGUE, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, APRIL 12, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 12, 2005
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Recommending to Congress that the cap on the Federal Crime
2 Victims Fund be eliminated and that the entire amount of
3 funds deposited into the fund be distributed annually.
4 WHEREAS, The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 established the
5 Crime Victims Fund which is one of the main sources of money and
6 support for crime victims and crime victims services; and
7 WHEREAS, The Crime Victims Fund provides critical funding for
8 formula grants to states for victim compensation and victim
9 assistance and for Federal discretionary grants, in addition to
10 earmarks for Federal victim assistance within the United States
11 Attorneys' Offices, FBI and Victim Notification System and the
12 Children's Justice Act; and
13 WHEREAS, State compensation programs pay directly for medical
14 care, counseling, lost wages and funerals for victims of
15 domestic violence, child abuse, rape and homicide; and
16 WHEREAS, State assistance programs provide services,
17 including crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter,
18 child care and emergency transportation; and
1 WHEREAS, Discretionary grants awarded to organizations fund
2 demonstration projects, training and other assistance to expand
3 and improve the delivery of services to crime victims; and
4 WHEREAS, All funds placed in the Crime Victims Fund are
5 derived from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees
6 and special assessments collected by the United States
7 Attorneys' Offices, the United States courts and the Bureau of
8 Prisons and does not rely on any tax-generated revenues; and
9 WHEREAS, States may utilize compensation grants and victim
10 assistance grants over a four-year period, thus enabling them to
11 plan and manage the distribution of funds over time; and
12 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has placed a
13 budgetary cap on the fund for six successive years, thereby
14 holding back more than $1,267,000,000 collected for the fund;
15 and
16 WHEREAS, Congress has repeatedly affirmed that the cap was
17 imposed to ensure that a stable level of funding remains
18 available for use to fund crime victim programs in future years;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, The Administration's proposed fiscal year 2006
21 budget would rescind funds that support future Federal, state
22 and local victim services by removing $1,267,000,000 from the
23 Crime Victims Fund; and
24 WHEREAS, A rescission of the fund balance would result in no
25 available funding for the formula or discretionary grant
26 programs at the start of fiscal year 2007; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the House of
28 Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommend to
29 Congress that the cap on the Federal Crime Victims Fund be
30 eliminated and that the entire amount of funds deposited into
20050H0243R1585 - 2 -
1 the fund be distributed annually; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
3 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommend to Congress that they
4 oppose the Administration's proposal to rescind the Crime
5 Victims Fund; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of
7 Representatives transmit copies of this resolution to the
8 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
9 President pro tempore of the United States Senate, the
10 Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation, the Pennsylvania Crime
11 Victim Advocate and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and
12 Delinquency.
D8L82MSP/20050H0243R1585 - 3 -