image description

Van Hollen to Join President Biden for Signing of Legislation to Fix Crime Victims Fund

July 22nd, 2021 by WCBC Radio

Today, Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 2:15 p.m., U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will head to the White House to join President Biden for the signing of  H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, into law. Survivors of violent crime often bear tremendous financial hardship: everything from medical costs to emergency housing to legal fees and mental health services. This bipartisan legislation, passed by the Senate earlier this week, provides a technical fix to address an immediate crisis: massive cuts to Victim of Crime Act (“VOCA”) victim service grants and insufficient funding for victim compensation. The bill has wide support from the victims’ rights and law enforcement groups, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the National Association of Attorneys General. In Maryland, over 120 organizations receive funding from the Crime Victims Fund, ranging from domestic violence shelters, to child advocate services, to rape crisis centers, and including the University of Maryland SAFE Center on Human Trafficking, which Senator Van Hollen has supported since its founding.