Maryland is helping lead the way on the VOCA crisis.
Crime victims' services face an uncertain future in Washington state. As federal funding plummets, the Washington State Department of Commerce is seeking more state funds to offset the drop, via the Victims of Crime Act State Plan. Washington is not the first state to attempt a legislative solution to declining federal Victims of Crime Act dollars. The Department of Commerce used Maryland legislation as a model for this request.
In 2023, Maryland passed the Victim Services Stabilization Act, sponsored by Chair Ben Barnes and Chair Guy Guzzone, requiring the state to kick in enough so that, in addition to federal funding, our victim services programs receive a total of $60 million each year.
Lisae C. Jordan, Esq., MCASA's Executive Director, helped draft the bill, and testified that the instability of federal funding was “ripping at the fabric of Maryland’s victim services safety net." She explained to Washington lawmakers at a Senate hearing that as a result of the Maryland law "it’s very helpful in the field to have the confidence that there is going to be a stable pot of money, instead of what was a continual worry about radical shifts in the funding.”
This funding secured through the Maryland Victim Services Stabilization Act is critical not only for rape crisis centers, but also our allies at child advocacy centers, domestic violence programs, prosecutors’ offices, forensic examination programs, and others who serve victims of crime.
MCASA greatly appreciates Chair Barnes and Chair Guzzone for their leadership on this bill. We were honored to have been asked to testify on their behalf as we worked to fix this structural funding problem.
