Leahy Commemorates Crime Victims’ Rights Week
Judiciary Chairman
Urges Commitment To Crime Victims,
Pushes Legislative Efforts To Protect Children, Students From Crime
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, April 16, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) this week
commemorated the 27th annual Crime Victims’ Rights
Week by urging the Senate to take action on key legislative measures
to protect children, students and victims of crime across the
country.
In floor statements and hearings this week, Leahy – a former
prosecutor -- renewed his support for pushing back efforts by the
Bush administration to drain all the reserves from the Crime Victims
Fund, the key source of support in helping crime victims.
Established by the Victims of Crime Act passed in 1984, the Fund is
supported by criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties and
special assessments. The Bush administration has proposed
rescinding the balance of the Fund at the end of this fiscal year.
Leahy – long the leader in Congress in defending the Crime Victims
Fund -- has forged a bipartisan coalition of senators to once again
beat back the administration’s proposal.
“We cannot reverse the senseless violence seen one year ago at
Virginia Tech,” said Leahy, “but we can honor the victims, and
support the families and survivors. We need to renew our national
commitment to crime victims, and National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
is an opportunity to think of victims’ suffering and victims’ needs.
The Senate can help by recognizing the importance of the Crime
Victims Fund.”
On Wednesday, Leahy queried Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Director Jim Nussle about the administration’s proposals to
eliminate the Crime Victims Fund. Nussle dismissed Leahy’s call to
preserve the more than $2 billion Fund to assist victims of crime.
Nussle instead suggested that the Department of Justice’s proposed
catch-all fund to support domestic criminal justice activities would
cover the costs of the services supported by the Crime Victims
Fund. Leahy countered that the administration has proposed less
than $800 million – far less than currently budgeted – to fund the
wide range of crime-fighting initiatives, including programs to
assist crime victims.
Also on Wednesday, in a
statement for a Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
hearing, Leahy renewed his calls for the Senate to consider and pass
key pieces of legislation to protect children from crime. The
Judiciary Committee
last year passed the reauthorization for the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, the KIDS Act, and the Internet
Safety and Education Act, but anonymous holds have stalled several
of these bills.
Tuesday, in a statement on the eve of the one-year anniversary of
the tragic events at
Virginia Tech that left 32 students and teachers dead and
several others injured, Leahy also urged the Senate to pass the
School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act, which was
reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee eight months ago. The
comprehensive legislation would authorize Federal assistance for
programs to improve safety and security in schools and
universities.
Since 1981, the country has celebrated Crime Victims’ Rights Week
with vigils and rallies in Vermont and across the country to observe
and renew long-standing commitments to crime victims and their
families. Leahy, who also is a senior member of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, led 26 senators earlier this month in
asking the Appropriations panel to oppose the administration’s
proposal to empty the Crime Victims Fund. Leahy also co-authored
the 2004 Justice for All Act, which established enforceable rights
for crime victims in the Federal criminal justice system, and
authorized grants to help States implement and enforce state and
local victims rights’ laws.
# # # # #
Statement On “Challenges And Solutions For Protecting Our
Children
From Violence In The 21st Century”
April 16, 2008
Statement On The First Anniversary Of The Virginia Tech Tragedy
April 15, 2008
Statement On National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
April 14, 2008
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