PRINTER'S NO. 2168
No. 331 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY CRAHALLA, THOMAS, BAKER, BARD, BEBKO-JONES,
BIANCUCCI, BROWNE, CAPPELLI, CRUZ, DALLY, DeWEESE, FABRIZIO,
FICHTER, GOODMAN, HARPER, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HORSEY,
JOSEPHS, KELLER, LEVDANSKY, MANN, MARKOSEK, McGEEHAN,
R. MILLER, MYERS, READSHAW, REICHLEY, RUBLEY, SATHER,
E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE, VANCE, WASHINGTON, WATSON AND
YOUNGBLOOD, JUNE 24, 2003
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 24, 2003
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 funding for formula
8 grants to states for victim compensation and victim assistance
9 and for Federal discretionary grants, in addition to earmarks
10 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
1 WHEREAS, State assistance programs provide services,
2 including crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter,
3 child care and emergency transportation; and
4 WHEREAS, Discretionary grants awarded to organizations fund
5 demonstration projects, training and other assistance to expand
6 and improve the delivery of services to crime victims; and
7 WHEREAS, The Crime Victims Fund consists of moneys collected
8 from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees and
9 special assessments collected by the United States Attorneys'
10 Offices, the United States courts and the Bureau of Prisons and
11 does not rely on any tax-generated revenues; and
12 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has placed a
13 budgetary cap on the fund for four successive years, thereby
14 holding back more than $638,500,000 collected for the fund; and
15 WHEREAS, The existence of the cap in combination with changes
16 in the distribution formula among the three categories of state
17 compensation programs, state victim assistance programs and
18 Federal discretionary programs as well as changes in the
19 earmarks has resulted in a reduction of funds for State victim
20 assistance programs; and
21 WHEREAS, The states may utilize compensation grants and
22 victim assistance grants over a four-year period, thus enabling
23 them to plan and manage the distribution of funds over time;
24 therefore be it
25 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the House of
26 Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommend to
27 Congress that the cap on the Federal Crime Victims Fund be
28 eliminated and that the entire amount of funds deposited into
29 the fund be distributed annually; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of
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1 Representatives transmit copies of this resolution to the
2 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
3 President pro tempore of the United States Senate, the
4 Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation, the Pennsylvania Crime
5 Victim Advocate and the Presidential Commission on Crime and
6 Delinquency.
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