WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, has awarded grants totaling $7,443,345 to Iowa through the fiscal 2010, Victims of Crime Act, Crime Victims Formula Grant Program.
Iowa will use the money to fund state and local assistance and compensation programs.
“Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act more than two decades ago as a means to provide some sort of assistance to innocent crime victims. Not one dollar of this money comes from American taxpayers. Instead, criminal fines and restitution make up the funding and help pay for medical care, mental health counseling, lost wages and other forms of assistance for people who were senselessly harmed,” Grassley said. “It’s important that we ensure that crime victims get the help they need.”
Despite the original intent of the Victims of Crime Act, the Senate Appropriations Committee placed a cap on the Crime Victims fund. Any funding above the cap is given to the general treasury. Grassley is a cosponsor of the Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act, which would eliminate the cap so that every penny brought into the fund is used to help victims.
The funds for the Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Formula Grant Program come from restitution payments and fines paid by criminal defendants. The money is then distributed by formula to states which in turn distribute the funds to local organizations that provide services to crime victims.