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Oregon lawmakers hear plea to backfill 42% VOCA cut with $21.5 million
Summary
At a joint informational and public hearing, victim-service providers urged the Judiciary committees to pass House Bill 3,196, a request for $21.5 million in one-time state funding to replace a 42% federal VOCA reduction that officials say will cut core services across Oregon.
Chair Kropf opened public testimony on House Bill 3,196 on behalf of the Department of Justice and victim-service partners, saying the bill would appropriate general funds to the DOJ to offset reductions in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants.
The bill matters because VOCA has been a primary federal funder for domestic and sexual violence and other victim services; speakers told the committees that a 42% reduction announced in spring 2024 lowered Oregon’s VOCA formula grant to about $9.9 million and threatens programs statewide.
Shannon Savelle, director of the Crime Victims and Survivors Services Division at the Oregon Department of Justice, told the committees, “VOCA stands for Victims of Crime Act. It was passed in 1984, and over the years, it has become the primary federal funder for domestic and…
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