News Release

Washington, DC – Idaho Senator Mike Crapo was honored for his work protecting the Crime Victims Fund from being rescinded in the FY2006 Budget. The National Center for Victims of Crime together with 11 other national victims’ advocacy organizations presented Crapo with an award for his efforts in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. today.

“The Crime Victims Fund, created under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, provides critical funding for over 44 victims’ assistance programs in Idaho, from law enforcement and domestic violence to child advocacy,” said Crapo. “Idaho utilized over $2 million from the Fund in 2005 alone—money that is not taxpayer revenue, but collected from perpetrators through fines and forfeitures in federal court. This money must stay in this dedicated fund to be used for victims of crime.”

Crapo first became involved in preserving the Fund when the VOCA Administrators alerted him that the Administration planned to rescind the Fund, totaling over $1 billion, in the FY2006 Budget. As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, he worked to keep it out of the Senate’s budget proposal last year. During the appropriations process, Crapo co-authored a letter with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asking that the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee not include the rescission in the final appropriations for these agencies. The letter was co-signed by 27 other Senators and the rescission was removed, keeping the Fund intact. The Administration has once again proposed a rescission of the Fund and Crapo has committed to fighting this in the FY2007 Budget.