PRINTER'S NO. 3562
No. 699 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY R. TAYLOR, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, DePASQUALE,
FRANKEL, GOODMAN, JAMES, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, McCALL, McGEEHAN,
McILVAINE SMITH, D. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, READSHAW,
REICHLEY AND SURRA, APRIL 7, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
APRIL 7, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recommending to the Congress of the United States that the cap
2 on the Crime Victims Fund be eliminated and that the entire
3 amount of funds deposited into the fund be distributed
4 annually.
5 WHEREAS, The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-473,
6 42 U.S.C. § 10601 et seq.) established the Crime Victims Fund,
7 which is one of the main sources of money and support for crime
8 victims and crime victims services; and
9 WHEREAS, The Crime Victims Fund provides critical funding for
10 formula grants to states for victim compensation and victim
11 assistance and for Federal discretionary grants, in addition to
12 earmarks for Federal victim assistance within the United States
13 Attorneys' Offices, FBI and Victim Notification System and the
14 Children's Justice Act; and
15 WHEREAS, State compensation programs pay directly for medical
16 care, counseling, lost wages and funerals for victims of
17 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, All funds placed in the Crime Victims Fund are
8 derived from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees
9 and special assessments collected by the United States
10 Attorneys' Offices, the United States courts and the Bureau of
11 Prisons and does not rely on any tax-generated revenues; and
12 WHEREAS, States may utilize compensation grants and victim
13 assistance grants over a four-year period, thus enabling them to
14 plan and manage the distribution of funds over time; and
15 WHEREAS, In 2000, Congress began capping annual spending from
16 the fund; and
17 WHEREAS, Congress has placed a budgetary cap on the fund for
18 eight successive years thereby holding back more than
19 $1,430,000,000 collected for the fund; and
20 WHEREAS, Congress has repeatedly affirmed that the cap was
21 imposed to ensure that a stable level of funding remains
22 available for use to fund crime victim programs in future years;
23 and
24 WHEREAS, In 2008, spending from the fund is capped at 590
25 million dollars, 35 million dollars less than in 2007; and
26 WHEREAS, The fund's balance is currently 2.024 billion
27 dollars; and
28 WHEREAS, The Bush Administration's proposed fiscal year 2009
29 Federal budget would once again cap spending from the fund at
30 590 million dollars and would rescind the fund's balance of
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1 2.024 billion dollars to offset spending in other program areas;
2 and
3 WHEREAS, A rescission of the fund balance would result in no
4 available funding for the formula or discretionary grant
5 programs at the start of fiscal year 2009; therefore be it
6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
7 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommend to Congress that the cap
8 on the Crime Victims Fund be eliminated and that the entire
9 amount of funds deposited into the fund be distributed annually;
10 and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
12 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recommend to Congress that they
13 oppose the Bush Administration's proposal to rescind the Crime
14 Victims Fund; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of
16 Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania transmit
17 copies of this resolution to the President pro tempore of the
18 United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
19 Representatives, the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation and
20 the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
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