Congressman Poe introduced the Victims of Crime Act Preservation Fund
Act of 2007, HR 2941, on June 28, 2007. HR 2941 prohibits the
consideration of any legislation in the House of Representatives or the
Senate that would authorize the use of amounts in the Crime Victims
Fund for a purpose not authorized by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.
It also allows the Senate to waive or suspend such prohibition by a
three-fifths vote.
The VOCA Fund is a crucial
resource that many communities and organizations rely on for victims'
services and compensation. It helps provide rape crisis centers,
domestic violence shelters, and victims' compensation for court costs,
funeral services, and medical expenses. VOCA is the only
Federal program that supports services to victims of all types of
crimes: homicide fatalities, drunk driving, elder financial
exploitation, identity theft, robbery, and rape. More than 4,400
agencies and 3.6 million victims a year depend on the VOCA Fund.
Congressman Ted Poe gave the following speech on the House floor on
2/15/06. The speech describes the annual battle that victims groups
face with VOCA and why a VOCA Lockbox law is necessary.
VOCA: ROUND II -- (House of Representatives - February 15, 2006)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, that great Iron Lady from across the ocean, Margaret Thatcher, made the comment that you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.
Let me give you a little historical background. I have spent all
my life in the criminal justice system, first as a prosecutor in Texas
and 22 years as a criminal court judge, heard about 20, 25,000 criminal
cases, everything from stealing to killing. I saw a lot of people come
to the courthouse.
But another group of people also worked their way to the
courthouse, and they did not want to be there either, and that was the
victims of crime. They were young, they were old, they were men, they
were women, they were children. They were the silent group of people
who were prey because of criminals.
Victims do not really have a lobby because most of them
have to take care of themselves after they become victims of crime,
until recently. In 1984, a novel program was started under the Reagan
administration called VOCA, Victims of Crime Act; and the idea was
pretty simple: Criminals in the Federal courts that are convicted pay
into a court cost fund. That money then is used for victims and helps
pay for their injuries, for their medical expenses, sometimes the
funeral expenses. A great idea: Make criminals pay for the system they
have created. Make them pay the rent on the courthouse. And that has
been going along fairly well, so well that approximately $1.2 billion
is now in that fund. And it is not taxpayer money. It is not the
Federal Government's money. It is money that belongs to victims, money
that has been obtained from criminals. And it is a crucial resource for
different organizations throughout the United States.
Most victims groups, programs, agencies operate under a
shoestring. Many of them are just trying to keep lights on, and they
receive this VOCA funding. We are talking about domestic violence
shelters. We are talking about rape crisis centers. Victim compensation
funds, funeral services, and medical expenses all receive benefit from
VOCA funding. One example is in Houston, the Children's Assessment
Center, a program like 400 others throughout the United States, where
sexually abused children go so that they can be treated not only for
their medical injuries but their emotional pain and get themselves
prepared for trial.
We have approximately 4,400 agencies in this country that
depend on that VOCA victim fund. We are talking about 3.6 million
victims a year. VOCA is the only Federal program that supports services
to victims of all types of crimes: homicide, drunk driving, elder
financial exploitation, identity theft, robbery, and rape.
So what is the problem, Mr. Speaker? Well, the bandit
budget bureaucrats are up to their old tricks. They are stealing this
money from the victims fund, and they want it to go into the abyss of
the Federal treasury.
This may all sound familiar. It is familiar. A year ago
those same individuals wanted to do the same thing, and because of
different victims groups in the United States, that was stopped. That
VOCA fund stayed with victims. It did not go into the abyss of the
Federal treasury. But now those bureaucrats are up to these old tricks
again, and they want that money to be taken from victims and put into
the abyss of the Federal budget.
Mr. Speaker, that money does not belong to the Federal
Government. It is not taxpayer money. It is money that belongs to
victims.
Victims continue to get victimized in the criminal justice
system, and now this is another way of victimizing victims once again.
Mr. Speaker, when I came to the House of Representatives,
I, along with Jim Costa from California from the other side of the
aisle and Katherine Harris from Florida, started the Victims Rights
Caucus to bring the awareness of the plight of victims to this House.
Because you see, Mr. Speaker, it is the first duty, the first
responsibility, of government to protect the people. Government does a
pretty good job of that. We are fighting the war on terror in
Afghanistan and Iraq and other places in the world. We are doing a good
job.
But we have got a war on terror going on here, and those
are the terrorists that live among us, those street terrorists,
criminals. And when they are captured and when they are prosecuted and
they are put in jail, make them pay. Make them pay financially to
support victims, their medical injuries and their needs after they have
come to the criminal justice system.
So this money cannot be taken from the victims fund. We
will fight this battle again, as Margaret Thatcher said. The victims
posse, as I call them, those victims organizations throughout the
United States, they are a posse because most of them are volunteers,
and they will do what they can to make sure that this money stays left
alone, that it stays in the VOCA fund, that it remains moneys for
victims and to be used for victims as well.
This is a user fee for criminals. They need to pay. In
fact, they need to pay more. The robber barons are taking this money;
and, Mr. Speaker, this ought not to be.
