Lawmakers plug fed gap in victim service funding

BOSTON — More than 100 Massachusetts groups that provide services to victims of crime have been spared potentially devastating budget cuts after lawmakers approved new funding for the programs.

A supplemental budget approved by the state Legislature includes $20 million for the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, which supports organizations that work with victims of homicide, rape, domestic violence, elder abuse, and children who have been sexually trafficked or abused.

Gov. Maura Healey filed the supplemental budget in March, calling for tapping into $20 million in “repurposed” federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the state’s victim service programs. She is expected to sign the spending plan.

Liam Lowney, MOVA’s executive director, said the money is needed as a “bridge” after the Federal Office on Victims of Crime announced an $11 million cut in funding for the state’s victim-assistance programs, a roughly 42% decrease over the 2023 fiscal year.

“This is essential funding, and we are extremely grateful to lawmakers,” he said. “This money will ensure that these organizations have the funding they need to continue to provide these crucial services.”

Lowney said the looming cuts would have a “devastating” impact on groups that work with crime victims. He said the organization sent out letters to those that would be affected, warning them that their allocations would be cut if the plan wasn’t approved.

Overall, victim service groups have seen a decline in funding over the years, much of it stemming from the way in which the federal government has for decades provided funding to states to support crime victim programs.

In 1984, Congress created the Crime Victims Fund to collect money from fees and fines levied on a person or organization convicted of a federal crime.

The money is provided in multi-year grants to states for distribution by groups such as MOVA to providers like Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, which helps victims of child sexual abuse and trafficking.

But several years ago the U.S. Justice Department started settling more litigation against corporations by using agreements or deferred prosecutions, under which the company pays a settlement to avoid being convicted of a federal crime.

In those cases, money from the settlements were swept into the U.S. Treasury’s general fund, not the victims fund. As a result, money for funding dried up.

In 2021, President Joe Biden provided a fix for the problem by signing a law requiring that money from non-prosecution settlements be diverted into the Crime Victims Fund. Since then, more than $1 billion has gone into the victims’ fund that otherwise wouldn’t have been collected, according to the White House.

But advocates say it will take years for the fund to be fully replenished, which means there will be a shortage of money for state programs in coming years.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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