Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate Bill 5362 would require sustained state funding to backfill sharp federal VOCA declines
Summary
Senate Bill 5362 would direct the legislature to appropriate escalating aggregate annual amounts for victim services in Washington, supplementing declining federal Victims of Crime Act funds; advocates and service providers warned of a 50%+ funding cliff in July 2025 and urged stable, ongoing state commitments
Senate Bill 5362 would require the Washington legislature to appropriate state funds for victim services in the aggregate with federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) allocations so that total annual victim‑service funding reaches specified statewide targets over successive biennia.
Under the bill’s schedule presented at the Feb. 3 public hearing, aggregate funding (VOCA plus state appropriations) would be $50 million annually for the current and next biennium; $60 million annually in the 2029–2031 and 2031–2033 biennia; and $70 million annually beginning in the 2033–2035 biennium and thereafter. The Office of Crime Victims Advocacy (OCVA) would report to the legislature every five years after aggregate funding reaches $70…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
