CALL NOW: Ask the House & Senate to Protect Funding for Survivor Services

This week, the Public Safety subcommittees in both the House and Senate will hold budget hearings on funding for rape crisis centers and other victim services.

Chief among MCASA’s responsibilities is ensuring that sexual assault survivors and the programs that serve them have critical resources. We understand the budget issues the State of Maryland currently faces, however, survivors need services more than ever before.

The impact of threats to federal funding, decreased state support for survivors with untested rape kits, continued inflation, job loss, and reduced private funding present significant financial challenges for sexual assault programs. Additional state funding cuts would be devastating. Programs are seeing an increase in demand, former federal workers no longer have access to private services, and workforce changes have drastically increased the cost of providing services. We need full funding for the services that help support survivors and hold offenders accountable.

This year’s budget proposal includes funding for the Victim of Crime Act programs and for the Rape Kit Testing fund. It does not include the $1 million grant for rape crisis centers administered by MCASA, nor the companion $1 million for domestic violence programs. Maryland must restore these funds, which have been especially important during the ongoing federal issues.

Please ask subcommittee members to
support survivors by Funding Survivor Services!