With dwindling federal funds and a looming state budget shortfall, Washington state lawmakers are trying to determine how to keep paying for services for crime victims. Funding for the Victims of Crime Act State Plan is projected to be cut in half by this summer. The state has backfilled that money in the past to ensure people don’t lose access to things like legal advocacy, therapy, emergency shelter and forensic exams, the Washington State Standard reports. With a state budget hole coming over the next four years, funding those services past July 1 could be difficult, raising worries that some programs could have to close. “This network is at its most fragile state it’s ever been,” said Laurel Redden of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center. “We’re getting to a point where there is really going to be stress and strain on these organizations.” Federal funding for crime victim services comes from criminal fines, forfeited bonds and other financial penalties in federal court cases. In 2018, federal Victims of Crime Act dollars peaked at about $74.7 million. Revenue has been eroding since, sinking to around $17.8 million as of last June In his proposed budget, former Gov. Jay Inslee set aside $20 million in state funds next year for crime victims services. Lawmakers are looking at something more stable.
Proposals from two lawmakers would require Washington’s crime victims fund to have $50 million every year through 2029, $60 million every year through 2033 and $70 million every year starting in 2033. Those numbers include whatever the state gets in federal funding. So, for example, if the state received $40 million from the federal government in 2026, the state would need to set aside $10 million. That proposal was voted out of the Senate Committee on Law and Justice on Thursday, with bipartisan support. It now heads to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for further consideration. Sherrie Tinoco, acting public policy director at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the proposal will provide stability to programs at risk of losing funding every year or two. The coalition represents 70 member organizations that operate domestic violence shelters, provide housing, work on legal or medical advocacy, and offer other services. Tinoco said that without more state funding, after-hours hotlines will shut down, emergency shelter capacity will shrink and fewer legal advocates will be available. She said many programs are already talking about what they might cut or whether they should close if the state does not set aside more money.
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