Today, the VOCA Fix Act, which Congressman John Moolenaar cosponsored and voted for in March, was signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bipartisan legislation will ensure that grant programs established in the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) continue to receive funding. VOCA grants provide financial support for programs that assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other crimes.
“VOCA grants are used by victim advocacy groups and law enforcement in the Fourth District to help the survivors of crime and I supported the VOCA Fix Act to help make sure these grants are available for years to come,” said Congressman John Moolenaar, an original cosponsor of the legislation. “I am glad the VOCA Fix Act is now law so local organizations can continue to serve our communities and support the survivors of crime when they need it the most.”
In March, leaders in law enforcement and victim advocacy discussed how important the VOCA Fix Act is to them and thanked Congressman Moolenaar for his support. Read statements from Montcalm County Sheriff Mike Williams, Executive Director Bethany Law of the Northern Michigan Alliance for Children, and Program Director Heather Therrien of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Gratiot County.
The Victims of Crime Act was first signed into law in 1984 and it funded grants with the financial proceeds from prosecutions by the Department of Justice. However, because the department is increasingly seeking non-prosecution and deferred-prosecution agreements, there has been a decline in funding. The new law will redirect the settlements from these deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the VOCA fund to ensure grants are available to victim advocacy organizations.
Original source can be found here.
