JWI's Statement: VOCA Fix on the way to President Biden's desk
In response to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) being passed through the Senate and moving on to President Biden to be signed into law, JWI issued the following statement:
After months of advocacy and thousands of calls to congressional offices, last night the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund of 2021 passed the Senate unanimously, 100 – 0! This vital bill that prevents drastic cuts to the Crime Victims Fund is now on its way to President Biden’s desk and will soon become law. This is truly a moment for celebration.
The VOCA Fix Act will guarantee billions of dollars go to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child abuse treatment centers across the country. By re-directing monetary penalties from criminal fines and fees from the U.S. Treasury to the VOCA fund, Congress ensured that local programs can continue to serve victims of violent crime.
We couldn’t have done it without your support and hard work. Because of you, programs will be fully funded and victims will get the services they so desperately need.
We applaud the leadership and commitment of all of the bill’s lead sponsors in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and commend their swift action in passing the VOCA Fix Act.
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to empower women and girls by ensuring and protecting their physical safety and economic security, promoting and celebrating inter-generational leadership, inspiring civic participation and community engagement, and engaging men as allies in ending gender-based violence. JWI is a Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and convenes the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community.