Summary of AVA Connect Conversation – 11/17/20
Summary of AVA Connect Conversation – 11/17/20
In the Summary of the AVA Connect Conversation (link above), reference is made to a press release put out by NAVAA. See below.
Federal FY 2021 Budget Watch
Senate Committee on Appropriations Releases FY21 Bills
November 17, 2020– The Senate Committee on Appropriations released all twelve of its Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) funding measures and the FY21 subcommittee allocations on Tuesday, November 10, 2020. The Commerce, Justice and Science and related agencies (CJS) bill includes a FY2021 VOCA cap of $1.5 billion.
This allocation represents a 43% reduction in VOCA funding from FY2020 level. The FY21 CJS budget passed by the House of Representatives (H.R. 7617) in July 2020 sets the VOCA cap at $2.65 billion. The Senate CJS bill, and VOCA cap, is under consideration and will be part of a larger negotiation process with Congressional leaders to determine a final appropriations bill.
Although the bill is not the final allocation for VOCA Assistance funding, it again highlights the need for a drastic Crime Victims Fund deposit fix. Deposits into the Fund have decreased significantly in recent years, leaving appropriators with less funding to consider when setting the annual cap. Congress can fix this and increase deposits by ensuring federal financial penalties from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements are treated the same way as penalties resulting from criminal convictions.
NAVAA is committed to strongly advocating for the much-needed deposit fix. We will be monitoring the ongoing conversations and continue to provide the latest updates on the Federal FY 2021 Budget as we receive them.
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