The Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is the main source of federal funding for victim services and victim assistants in prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement agencies. Yet today, the CVF is dangerously low, putting critical, lifesaving services and victims’ lives at risk. 

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, H.R. 909. It is critically important for the Senate to enact this measure to ensure that victim service providers across the country do not face further catastrophic funding cuts!

Nearly 6,500 direct-service local organizations serving survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes use these funds to provide counseling, case management, crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and community-based direct service programs. These funds are the most essential and flexible source of funding for crime victim services across the nation.  

The Crime Victims Fund does not receive funds from taxpayer general revenue. It is supported by monetary penalties associated with federal criminal convictions and deferred and non-prosecution agreements. Deposits into the CVF fluctuate depending on Department of Justice prosecutions. The account balance has declined over the past several years and remains unstable, unable to fully fund critical and much needed services. This proposed legislation adds a temporary source of funding by redirecting unobligated funds collected from the False Claims Act into the Crime Victims Fund, while fully compensating the federal agency and maintaining critical protection and compensation for whistleblowers.