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Costa Statement on Senate Passage of VOCA Fix Bill

July 20, 2021

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16), founder and Chairman of the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus (CSJC), released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Act of 2021, legislation that improves the long-term funding of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA):

"This fix will restore and increase funding to the Crime Victims Fund, which is essential to local agencies that provide life-saving services to victims of all types of crime," said Rep. Costa, who voted in support of the legislation in the House on March 17, 2021. "This bill retains VOCA's historic underlying principle that convicted offenders should pay for services that help crime victims and survivors."

Signed into law in 1984, VOCA established the Crime Victims Fund to help community based organizations provide critical services such as counseling, advocacy, and shelter to victims of violent crime. The fund is not financed by taxpayer dollars but by fines, forfeitures, and other penalties paid by federal criminal offenders.

The VOCA Fix addresses declining revenue by enabling new funding from out-of-court settlements, rather than relying directly on criminal cases, providing a significant boost to groups such as Fresno's Marjaree Mason Center in helping crime victims and their families move on with their lives.

"Today's approval of the VOCA fix by the United States Senate is monumental for agencies throughout California and the nation that serve victims of crime. For Marjaree Mason Center, the VOCA fix provides critical longer-term funding that allows us the ability to continue to provide 24/7 safe housing and support services to an ever-increasing number of adults and their children in Fresno County. We are grateful for the leadership from members of Congress and Senate, to prioritize victims of crime as we strive for a future free of violence,"said Nicole Linder, Executive Director of Marjaree Mason Center

Advocating for victims of violent crime is a priority for Rep. Costa. Since joining Congress in 2005, he has voted every year for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the continued funding of the Crime Victims Fund. He is chairman of the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus, which he co-found with Rep. Ted Poe in 2005, and is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.