Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 909) to temporarily provide additional deposits into the Crime Victims Fund, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am beyond proud to rise in support of my bill H.R. 909, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.

This bipartisan legislation will provide critical support to over 7 million crime victims throughout every State in this country, without spending a single taxpayer dollar.

Mr. Speaker, across the United States, domestic violence shelters,

rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers are in dire need of support. These organizations serve the most vulnerable in our society: battered spouses, rape survivors, and children, even toddlers who have been sexually abused and exploited.

As elected officials, it is our duty to ensure these victims receive the support, care, and, equally important, the justice they deserve.

Tragically, over the past 8 years, across multiple administrations, the balance of the Crime Victims Fund, or CVF, has plummeted, jeopardizing Federal support for these victims.

This fund does not use taxpayer dollars. It is solely financed by the fines, settlements, and other monetary penalties collected from Federal criminal prosecutions. From 2017 to 2023, the balance of CVF dropped by over 92 percent. It was almost completely wiped out.

Congress attempted to correct this decline in 2021 with the bipartisan VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, but Federal resources are still not meeting the needs of victims in our Nation.

Child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters have been forced to triage their services or, even worse, to close entirely.

In 2024, my home State of Missouri saw a $10 million cut, over 40 percent, Mr. Speaker, of its Federal support for victims of violent crime, gone. This is unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, I got to work, and over the past 2 years, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, with law enforcement, with prosecutors, and with victim advocacy groups to craft this legislation and build an overwhelming coalition of support.

Today, with 327 bipartisan cosponsors, this bill, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, will be the most widely supported piece of legislation considered on the House floor so far this Congress. I would like to emphasize that for just a second. With 327 bipartisan cosponsors, this bill is the most widely supported piece of legislation to receive a vote in Congress.

My bill uses nontaxpayer dollars to ensure vital programs can survive and victims receive the assistance necessary to heal, recover, and help law enforcement hold offenders accountable.

For years, the CVF had been financed by criminal monetary penalties, but those resources are no longer sufficient. With my bill, the CVF will also receive, through fiscal year 2029, the unobligated civil penalties collected through antifraud law.

One of the most prominent Federal antifraud laws is the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act allows the Federal Government to sue entities that defraud government programs and seek up to three times the damages. For example, if an entity defrauds the Federal Government out of $1 million, the government can sue that entity for up to $3 million. If the government wins, $1 million is returned to the defrauded agency, up to 30 percent is rewarded to any relevant whistleblower, when necessary, and the remaining leftover funds are unobligated.

The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act only redirects these leftover, unobligated funds to the CVF. We include specific protections for government reimbursement and whistleblower rewards. Those dollars remain untouched. This bill simply ensures that the surplus damages collected from those found liable for fraud in Federal court are used to support victims of crime.

This temporary infusion of resources will stabilize the CVF, support both victims and law enforcement investigations, while also retaining the fund's original intent of being financed by the legal fines from bad actors, not tax dollars.

This commonsense legislation must pass Congress as quickly as possible because every day that we wait, victims of the most horrific crimes across our country are left in need.

I urge all of my colleagues in both Chambers to support this bill, and, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran), a co-lead of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt), who is another co-lead of H.R. 909.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I note that in 2024, child advocacy centers provided assistance to over 370,000 children nationwide who suffered abuse. That is 370,000 children in one year alone. For those who might not be aware, after a child is tragically exploited or sexually assaulted by a predator, one of the first places a victim is taken is a child advocacy center, or CAC.

At CAC, specialized interviewers are able to work with the child victim to not only make them feel safe and secure but also to get vital information that can be used by law enforcement to identify and arrest the offender. These often horrifying details are then used by our prosecutors, who stand firmly with this legislation, to ensure the predator is put behind bars.

My most recent visit to a CAC was in October last year. I had the pleasure of meeting with the executive director of the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse, Jessica Seitz, and her team at the Union, Missouri, child advocacy center.

The work these incredible individuals do every single day to protect and help children going through unspeakable trauma deserves the highest recognition. I want to ensure that all of them are recognized on the floor of this Chamber for what they do in Missouri and beyond. I also want to recognize all of the CACs throughout the United States that open their doors every day to help those who need it most.

The legislation before all of us today will turn our gratitude into action, Mr. Speaker. We will get these organizations, the amazing people who work there, and the children who rely upon them the resources they so desperately need.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I first thank my co-leads for their help in pursuing and pushing this legislation forward: Representatives Derek Schmidt, who we heard from, and Nathaniel Moran, Stephanie Bice, Jim Costa, and my dear, dear friend across the aisle, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who I wish could have joined us today for this debate.

I also thank the House Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations Committee, who had a strong hand in this, and Leader Scalise for working with my team to bring this bill to the floor. Of course, I thank Congresswoman Lucy McBath for her tremendous support and her testimony to just the terrible injustice and travesty that she has endured. I thank her for her support and her management of this piece of legislation, H.R. 909, across the aisle.

Through our collaboration, we were able to include strong language ensuring a comprehensive audit of the CVF will be delivered to Congress. The information from this audit will help us do our jobs as policymakers and properly plan for the future of the CVF and avoid another crisis like this.

To the dozens and dozens and dozens of supporting organizations that stood with me in this fight, including the National Children's Alliance, the National District Attorneys Association, RAINN, Covenant House, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the National Network to End Sexual Violence, and the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys.

Mr. Speaker, our work is not done. We can and must get this bill through the Senate, as we discussed across the aisle, and signed into law. It has been an honor to lead this effort, and I am humbled to have gained cosponsors from well over a majority of the United States House Republican Conference and 75 percent of the entire House of Representatives.

This could not have been accomplished without dedication, teamwork, and a true get-stuff-done attitude. Representing our constituents in this Chamber is not a job, Mr. Speaker. It is a calling. There is no higher calling than helping the most vulnerable in our society.

I, again, urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 909, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) so much for this piece of legislation. I thank her for all the really good hard work that she has done in rallying the troops to do the right thing. I thank her very much for taking care of our victims and making sure they have these provisions. I, too, have been a victim, so I thank her personally.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 909, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025.

Established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide funding for State victim compensation and assistance programs, the Crime Victims Fund does not rely on taxpayer dollars. Instead, it is funded by fines, monetary penalties, and assessments paid by convicted Federal defendants, as well as forfeited bail bonds and other gifts and donations.

For four decades, the Crime Victims Fund has been a lifeline, providing money through grants to States, local governments, individuals, and other entities. It supports rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, child advocacy programs, and services for survivors like me of homicide, assault, and human trafficking in every State and in every territory. It pays for counseling, emergency shelters, legal aid, and lost wages.

In short, the Crime Victims Fund is the bedrock of our Nation's promise to help victims rebuild their lives, serving nearly 4 million victims of crime every year. That is a staggering number, so I want to say it again: 4 million victims of crime every year.

Over the last decade, the fund has faced a severe and sustained crisis. Stemming from changes in prosecution practices, revenues have plummeted. Meanwhile, the needs of victims have only grown.

In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of a devastating cycle. Annual distributions to States for victim services and assistance have been cut by 40 percent, forcing programs to close their doors, lay off their staff, and turn victims away in their greatest and most desperate hours of need.

H.R. 909 is a necessary and responsible solution that is not just fiscally sound but profoundly just. This bill would address the fluctuations in deposits that continue to threaten the fund and our ability to provide vital support to victims of crime.

It would provide critical stabilization of the fund by authorizing an infusion of unobligated funds collected through the False Claims Act to halt the immediate bleeding. This stopgap measure will prevent further catastrophic cuts to victim services, ensuring that hotlines remain open and advocates remain at their posts while we implement and continue to work on a long-term fix.

It includes essential oversight and accountability measures. By requiring regular reporting that includes an audit, we can guarantee transparency in how these funds are being managed and distributed, and we can be sure that the money reaches frontline organizations that are doing the hard work on the ground. This is lifesaving work that they are doing, with efficiency and integrity.

Speaking as a beneficiary of the good works done as a result of the existence of the Crime Victims Fund and a proud cosponsor of H.R. 909, there is truly an urgent need to pass this legislation. Without Federal funding, critical victim services are simply going to vanish.

I am grateful to the sponsors of this bill and to all of our colleagues for their bipartisanship in doing what is right to help our victims and for their efforts.

I urge all of my colleagues to support the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, and, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree that neither saving lives nor providing support to victims of crime are partisan issues. Victimization knows no political party.

The instability of the Crime Victims Fund threatens red states as well as blue states alike, urban centers and also rural communities equally. Passage of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act is a declaration of our own common values.

This bill says that our commitment to this Nation's victims is not just a line in a budget subject to prosecutorial trends.

I would like to say when my family and I spent the 2\1/2\ years in court that we did in Jacksonville, Florida, when my son was murdered in November of 2012, the Crime Victims Fund of Florida helped to support the representative and to provide the representative who spent day after day with us making sure that we had the resources and the means that we needed, making sure that we understood that the State of Florida was standing there to support us in spite of the terrible tragedy that we had suffered. That money, those funds, were allocated from the Crime Victims Fund.

So, once again, having actually lived through this experience, I know how important it is to make sure that we pass this legislation.

It says that our first thought is to bind the wounds of the injured, the helpless, and the innocent.

We owe it to the survivors who need counseling and stable housing to help them sleep through the night again. We owe it to the parents who must bury their child or their children or their loved one, such as I have. We owe it to the countless silent sufferers who have yet to come forward but who must know that help will be there when they need it.

This is a commonsense solution that will ensure victims have access to the services that they need to heal, to reclaim their lives again, and to feel secure enough to speak out about their pursuing the justice that they deserve.

I ask all Members of this body to support this lifesaving bill. I hope that the Senate will take it up and pass it as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions, as follows:

H.R. 116: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 151: Ms. Van Duyne.

H.R. 255: Mr. Gill of Texas, Mr. Self, and Ms. Crockett.

H.R. 404: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 429: Mr. Suozzi.

H.R. 479: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 556: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 574: Mr. Van Drew, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Stauber, and

Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 628: Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 659: Mr. Soto, Mrs. Ramirez, and Mr. Garcia of

California.

H.R. 740: Ms. Malliotakis and Mr. Kustoff.

H.R. 802: Ms. Bonamici.

H.R. 833: Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona, Mr. Moran, Mr. Barr, and

Mr. Burlison.

H.R. 842: Mr. Kiley of California and Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 909: Mr. Subramanyam and Ms. Schakowsky.

H.R. 914: Ms. McDonald Rivet.

H.R. 942: Mr. Bresnahan and Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 956: Mr. Biggs of Arizona.

H.R. 1004: Ms. Elfreth and Ms. Kelly of Illinois.

H.R. 1024: Mr. Moran.

H.R. 1041: Mr. Ezell, Mr. Hurd of Colorado, Mr. Cline, and

Ms. De La Cruz.

H.R. 1086: Mrs. Miller-Meeks.

H.R. 1106: Mr. Himes.

H.R. 1151: Mr. Rose.

H.R. 1181: Ms. Fedorchak.

H.R. 1232: Mr. James and Mr. Pfluger.

H.R. 1241: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 1262: Mrs. Hinson and Mr. Garamendi.

H.R. 1286: Mrs. Fischbach.

H.R. 1329: Mr. Burchett and Mr. McCaul.

H.R. 1330: Mr. Suozzi.

H.R. 1357: Mr. Morelle.

H.R. 1378: Mr. Rogers of Kentucky and Mr. Garbarino.

H.R. 1400: Ms. Perez.

H.R. 1415: Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Weber of Texas.

H.R. 1505: Mr. Min.

H.R. 1509: Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Carbajal, Ms. Lee of Florida,

and Mr. Fry.

H.R. 1521: Mr. Harder of California.

H.R. 1539: Mr. Bilirakis.

H.R. 1636: Mr. Thompson of Mississippi.

H.R. 1659: Ms. Budzinski.

H.R. 1676: Mr. Haridopolos.

H.R. 1682: Mr. James.

H.R. 1695: Mr. Rutherford.

H.R. 1709: Mr. Nunn of Iowa.

H.R. 1775: Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 1822: Mr. Owens.

H.R. 1868: Ms. Williams of Georgia.

H.R. 1882: Mr. Gill of Texas.

H.R. 1909: Mr. Wittman.

H.R. 1918: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2028: Ms. Van Duyne and Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2033: Ms. Malliotakis.

H.R. 2109: Mr. Costa.

H.R. 2126: Mr. Brecheen and Mr. James.

H.R. 2145: Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 2160: Mr. Schmidt.

H.R. 2189: Mr. Fry.

H.R. 2199: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2230: Ms. Malliotakis.

H.R. 2253: Mr. Frost.

H.R. 2290: Mr. Garamendi.

H.R. 2294: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2311: Mr. Jackson of Illinois.

H.R. 2315: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2355: Mr. Mann.

H.R. 2395: Ms. Hageman.

H.R. 2514: Ms. Budzinski.

H.R. 2531: Mr. Larson of Connecticut and Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 2536: Mr. Riley of New York.

H.R. 2538: Ms. Stansbury and Mr. Graves.

H.R. 2550: Mr. Clyburn.

H.R. 2599: Mr. Issa.

H.R. 2623: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 2687: Ms. Pelosi.

H.R. 2705: Mr. Collins and Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2729: Mr. Stauber, Mr. Rose, Mrs. Radewagen, and Mr.

Peters.

H.R. 2736: Mrs. Sykes.

H.R. 2753: Ms. Chu, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Goodlander,

Mr. Meeks, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Dexter, and Mr.

Pocan.

H.R. 2761: Mr. Goldman of New York.

H.R. 2767: Ms. Norton.

H.R. 2781: Mr. Bishop.

H.R. 2788: Mr. Cohen.

H.R. 2841: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2904: Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick.

H.R. 2941: Mr. Krishnamoorthi.

H.R. 2969: Mr. Cline.

H.R. 2979: Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 3033: Mr. Pfluger.

H.R. 3036: Mr. Takano.

H.R. 3043: Mr. McGuire.

H.R. 3048: Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 3098: Mr. Correa.

H.R. 3107: Mr. Bishop.

H.R. 3112: Ms. Perez, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick,

and Mr. Sherman.

H.R. 3128: Ms. Sewell.

H.R. 3131: Mr. Rogers of Kentucky.

H.R. 3142: Mr. Bacon.

H.R. 3177: Mr. Steube.

H.R. 3179: Ms. Van Duyne and Mr. Self.

H.R. 3195: Mr. Rogers of Alabama.

H.R. 3199: Ms. Omar, Ms. Meng, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania,

Mr. Mullin, and Mr. Sherman.

H.R. 3204: Mr. Neguse.

H.J. Res. 38: Mr. Steube.

H. Res. 155: Ms. Pingree.

H. Res. 166: Ms. Norton.

H. Res. 267: Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of

California, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. McClellan, Mr.

Bacon, Mr. Torres of New York, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Ansari, Ms.

Tlaib, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Titus, Mr.

Soto, and Mr. Fields.

H. Res. 364: Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Ms. Malliotakis,

Mr. Fallon, and Mr. Kustoff.

H. Res. 380: Mr. Pocan, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. McCollum, and Ms.

Tokuda.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to add my voice to those thanking our colleague from Missouri for her leadership on this work. It has been a pleasure to work with her and with our colleagues on the other side. It has been an honor to help lead the support for what she is trying to get done here.

Mr. Speaker, in my State, we dealt with this issue a number of years ago, and it is a policy fight that is separate from what we are doing here today. We actually ultimately decided to move our State-based crime victim support programs into appropriated support from our general fund and deposit all of these erratic streams from the court system into the general fund so that the risk of funding was shifted onto the State generally and not borne by those who rely on the services in particular.

That is a discussion for another day.

I share it today because for me, at least, this brings back memories of a time when we were wrestling with the same issue back home.

Mr. Speaker, how do you look a rape victim or a domestic violence victim in the eye and tell them that the good folks in your community, the advocates and the supporters of domestic violence services or rape crisis centers or child advocacy centers who want to be there to help you in your time of greatest need may not be there because their government didn't pay the bills?

The lights aren't on. The staff wasn't paid, so they left. That is where we are writ large in this subject matter, and we are there because of the vagaries in the recovery cycle and all kinds of things that happen in the court system that generate these revenue streams. This is a way to put our finger in the dam until we figure out longer term how we provide that sort of certainty.

There are a lot of different groups of crime victims. By the way, none of them asked to be crime victims. They didn't wake up and expect to be victimized. They have had a terrible moment thrust upon them by somebody else's actions, and they are in a time of need where they need help. That is what advocates do in these support services. That is what this money goes for.

This helps a lot of different types of crime victims. I will share a couple of moments in my last minute or so here about the work of the child advocacy centers that this supports. I have often said in the work I did when I was a State legal official, we did a lot of work with crime victims, child crime victims, supporting our child advocacy centers, and prosecuting criminal cases under State law against offenders who committed terrible crimes against children.

I have often described it to people this way: It is not like on TV in the crime shows.

When the victim is an 8-year-old child or a 7-year-old child, and when what happened to them was some form of sexual abuse, the odds are about 90-10 that the offender is somebody that the child knew and trusted.

It is rare that it is a stranger offense with little kids. That is because that is how the offender got access to the child.

Mr. Speaker, on our watch, we prosecuted parents, we prosecuted grandparents, we prosecuted ministers, and we prosecuted coaches.

Mr. Speaker, the only evidence you have is what that child can testify to in front of a bunch of strangers in a jury box, a judge in a dark robe, and people in our adversarial system because you rarely have physical evidence in these cases. We sometimes, but rarely, have extraneous evidence.

That child has to be able to testify, or justice is never done, and that child cannot testify if he or she has not had the support and services of victim advocates at, for example, a child advocacy center to bring them to the point they can tell truthfully what happened to them.

This bill is about justice, and I am proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan legislation, and I extend my praise to the distinguished gentlewoman from Missouri who has demonstrated a remarkable initiative and high octane energy in organizing the House of Representatives behind it. We are grateful to her for her efforts and also to Mrs. McBath, who is the ranking member on our Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee for her efforts in always making sure that we put crime victims first. When we have a crime and there is a prosecution, it is State v. defendant or people v. defendant, but what is left out of that is the victim, and she always makes sure that we keep the victims very much in our sights, in our minds, and in our hearts.

The Crime Victims Fund has been significantly depleted, resulting in a $630 million cut to victim services in fiscal year 2024. Deposits into the fund have dropped dramatically since 2018. From 2008 to 2017, deposits were, on average, $2.56 billion annually. From 2008 through 2023, annual deposits averaged only $737 million.

So that is much greater than a 50 percent drop. There are different reasons for this that we need to analyze and address, but in the meantime, the consequences for VOCA grants are devastating.

These grants are the primary source of Federal funding for thousands of victim service providers across America, including programs serving victims of human trafficking, drunk driving, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. These are our people, our family members, and our community members who are suffering who need the help.

VOCA grants are funded by the statutorily created Crime Victims Fund, which is supported by criminal fines, assessments, and penalties paid for by convicted Federal offenders. However, these are being progressively wiped away. Without congressional action, victim service providers will be forced to make more dramatic cuts to critical services while many others will simply have to close their doors.

In order to stabilize the balance of the fund and prevent further cuts, H.R. 909 would add unobligated funds from actions brought under the False Claims Act to the sources of revenue that are deposited into the Fund. Deposits would be made into the Crime Victims Fund only after whistleblowers and defrauded Federal agencies are paid first and other preexisting obligations are satisfied.

This is a temporary change that will give Congress time to assess its overall efficacy and conduct robust review before deciding whether to renew, adopt an alternative remedy, or create a permanent, long-term fix.

Mr. Speaker, I suppose you could say this is a Band-Aid solution, but having cut my finger recently, I like Band-Aid solutions. Band-Aids are necessary sometimes to stop the bleeding, and I think that is where we are right now. We have an obligation to the millions of victims of crime across the country who rely on the services made possible by the Crime Victims Fund.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 909, and I hope all my colleagues will do the same.