Washington, DC -- DC Attorney General Robert J. Spagnoletti, and Attorneys General of all fifty states, submitted a joint letter to Congress today to express "concern about drastic cuts" of more than $1.2 billion from the Federal Crime Victims Fund that is used to provide direct assistance to victims of violent crimes. The letter was also signed by the Attorneys General of Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.

"The Administration's proposal for the FY 2006 budget to remove $1.27 billion from the Crime Victims Fund would have a devastating impact on our ability to support victims of crime," the Attorneys General said in their letter.

The Federal Crime Victims Fund was created by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA). VOCA funds come entirely from collections from federal criminal fines, forfeitures and special assessments - not from taxpayers. Through grants to state victim compensation programs, victims of violent crimes throughout the country have been able to get help for medical care, mental health counseling, funeral and burial expenses, and other vital services.

"Some 4,400 local programs depend on VOCA assistance grants to provide necessary services to nearly 4 million victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, drunk driving, elder abuse and robberies, as well as families of homicide victims and other victims of crime," said the Attorneys General letter to Congress. "VOCA is the only federal grant program that supports direct assistance services to victims of every description."