2007 NAESV Lobby Day

News Alert

NAESV FUNDING UPDATE
July 2007

Another Victory for Sexual Assault Advocates!! On June 28th, the full Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill which included $10 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program! The next stop – the Floor of the Senate.

Updated Appropriations Chart Available!
June 26, 2007
Includes funding levels for programs affecting sexual and domestic violence for Fiscal Year 2008.
While we do not yet know exactly when that will happen, please take a moment and tell your elected officials while they are home this week for the July 4th Congressional Recess to vote YES for this bill, as well as the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill when it reaches the floor of the Senate and the House for a vote!

Also of interest within the bill (following each of the funding levels we have noted how much, if any, the House Appropriations Subcommittee included in their bill which was passed on June 11):

New Programs

Services for Youth Victims (STARY) - $2.0 million – No funding provided in House
Services for Children Exposed to Violence - $2.0 million – No funding provided in House
Research on Violence Against Indian Women - $1.0 million – No funding provided in House
Tracking of Violence Against Indian Women - $1.0 million – No funding provided in House

Existing Programs

STOP - $186.5 with $2.0 million taken out for National Institute of Justice and $17million for Transitional Housing. In addition we have learned that there is report language providing for a Native Alaskan Liaison Office of $4.0 million. This leaves STOP grants with $163.5 million. The House number is $205 million with $2.0 taken out for National Institute of Justice and $20 million for Transitional Housing. This leaves STOP grants with $183 million. Obviously will be working to reach the House number as opposed to Senate number.
Rural Grants Program - $39.5 million – The House provided $40 million
Campus Grants - $10.0 million – The House provided $10.0 million
Legal Assistance for Victims - $46 million – The House provided $40 million
Grants To Encourage Arrest - $55 million – The House provided $63 million
Center for Sex Offender Management - $5.5 million – The House provided $6.0 million
Stalking Database - $3.9 million – The House provided $3.0 million

In addition to the $10 million appropriations the Appropriations Committee approved yesterday, NAESV, along with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault and the Sacred Circle National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women, a project of Cangleska, Inc. submitted the following report language which appeared in the full Committee Report. We are THRILLED that the language we drafted appeared verbatim in the Committee’s report.

Also included was language we helped to draft regarding the administration’s proposal to create a consolidated competitive grant program for the programs authorized in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). While we have included below only the language related to SASP in the report, please click here to read the document that also includes the VAWA competitive grant language.

Report Language from the Senate Appropriations Committee Report
FY2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations

Sexual Assault Services Act (SASA)
The Committee recommendation provides $10,000,000 to begin a Federal program that directly funds the needs of sexual assault victims. As part of the Violence Against Women Act of 2005, Congress created a new program, the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) to address gaps in service to sexual assault victims and their families. While Congress has worked to ensure that crime controls are in place to address sexual offenders, Congress now wants to ensure that there is a dedicated stream of funding to provide a broad range of services to male, female and child sexual assault victims and their families through the well-established and well-regarded system of community-based rape crisis centers throughout the United States. These agencies’ ability to serve the needs of victims has been hampered by a significant lack of resources. The Sexual Assault Services Program addresses this lack of resources and meets the distinct needs to strengthen the continuum of intervention responses to sexual assault victims, their families and the community.

The Committee notes that the Attorney General has delegated authority to implement the Sexual Assault Services Program to the Office of Justice Programs. The Committee supports this and looks forward to working with the Assistant Attorney General at the Office of Justice Programs to serve the needs of victims of sexual assault and the full implementation of this program.

Congress is firmly committed to ensuring that these rape crisis centers have access to technical assistance, training and support. SASP will provide such assistance through sexual assault coalitions located in every state, territory and within a number of Tribes.

In addition, in recognition of the needs of victims in Communities of Color, Congress established through the Sexual Assault Services Program, specific funds so that Communities of Color-led agencies with the necessary sexual assault expertise can provide these services directly. Congress also ensured a set-aside for Indian tribes to enhance their response to victims of sexual assault and increase accountability to perpetrators within tribal communities.