Stabilizing funding for crime victims is a victory America’s children desperately need

It’s not every day that Congress gets such a clear opportunity to knock someone out of the park.

However, the current political climate can make it challenging and often blur the lines for clear opportunities, especially in election years. And yet, despite the politicization of every issue under the sun, one bill has been introduced that everyone, regardless of party affiliation or ideology, can agree is a must.

Last month, Reps. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), joined by Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), and Jim Costa (D-Calif. .), introduced H.R. 8061, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, to their colleagues in the House of Representatives. The law draws attention to the threat faced by victims of violent crime and calls for support to save the fund that provides justice and healing to these victims. The law is a crucial lifeline for recipients of Victims of Crime Act grants.

The Victims of Crime Act recipients are a constellation of victim services organizations in communities across the country, all of which provide services to help victims recover from crime. These recipients include the nation’s 961 child advocacy centers, which help children and families recover from child sexual abuse.

And while Victims of Crime Act grants are declining, the needs and numbers of children requiring the services of Children’s Advocacy Centers are no longer there. In 2023, Children’s Advocacy Centers provided services to 381,364 children.

Since its inception, the Victims of Crime Act has always been limited by its statutory funding sources: fines, forfeited bonds, and settlements from federal criminal charges. Now, due to a combination of shifting federal enforcement priorities and the aftereffects of the pandemic, the pot has been drying up for years.

This year, these cuts culminated in a $600 million reduction in victim services funding. That means there are fewer financial safeguards, legal resources and victim advocates available to help victims of violent crime get their lives back.

Now that the Crime Victims Fund has dried up and Victims of Crime Act grants have been cut accordingly, Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country have been forced to cut back on their resources, availability and services – or sometimes close their doors, all due to lack of money. . The loss of the Children’s Advocacy Center’s services is a tragic blow to the youth and families who depend on it during an unspeakably difficult time.

What we do now matters. Without significant additions or a real solution, the fund will quickly dwindle to zero. The benefit of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act is that this bill will redirect some of the funds raised under the False Claims Act to the fund that supports services to crime victims.

This bipartisan group of representatives who sponsored the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act are focused on doing the right thing, and they are betting on all the facts that their colleagues in the House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate will spread the urgency of this issue to everyone will realize. the many challenges they try to tackle every day.

The nationwide movement of Children’s Advocacy Centers now turns to you, and to everyone who cares that a child and their parents have somewhere to go on the worst day of their lives, and we ask: raise your voices. Give children a chance at the future they deserve. This is not a partisan issue, this is not a talking point, this is a vital support system that countless families across the country rely on and deserves to be properly funded.

To be fair, passing the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act will not solve all the problems with victim services financing. But it will be a great victory for America’s hurting children. Make sure they don’t lose their lifeline.

Teresa Huizar is CEO of the National Children’s Alliance.