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Crime Victims Reparation Commission seeks recurring funds after federal VOCA cuts; asks for $3 million to sustain services
Summary
The Crime Victims Reparation Commission told appropriators it needs recurring state funding to sustain victim services and to cover federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) reductions; the commission asked for $3 million in state support for service providers and $1 million to replace VOCA shortfalls for hotline and related services.
The Crime Victims Reparation Commission asked the House appropriations subcommittee for recurring state funding to shore up victim services statewide after federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding declined.
Executive Director Frank Zubia told the committee the agency administers funds to nearly 194 service providers statewide, covering domestic-violence shelters, sexual-assault programs, child advocacy centers, prosecutors’ victim advocates and local law-enforcement advocates. He gave a concrete example of one case: a Roswell youth with catastrophic injuries whose family turned to the commission for equipment and household supports when Medicaid denied some items. "Samantha was covered by Medicaid, but many of the expenses ... Medicaid said no. CVRC said yes," Zubia said.
Zubia asked for $3 million in recurring state general fund appropriations to maintain service-provider grants and operations and separately described a $1 million request to replace federal VOCA cuts and to support a statewide sexual-assault helpline.
The LFC recommended a $500,000 general fund increase for the commission’s victim-compensation program, while the executive recommended a larger increase, including $1 million to replace VOCA revenue in the grant-administration program. DFA analyst Diego Jimenez said roughly half of the executive's $1 million increase was meant to offset the VOCA reduction and half to support the sexual-assault hotline.
Zubia warned that the commission’s fund balance had eroded after fine-and-fee revenue declined and that the commission currently maintained a fund balance of about $200,000. He said the commission had a very low reversion rate (under 1%) and uses federal drawdowns and audits to manage grants. "For every state dollar that our commission expense, we get 75 cents from the federal government," Zubia said, noting the agency's past large federal draws had supported service continuity.
Action: The subcommittee moved the LFC recommendation on the commission’s budget; the motion passed with a second and the committee flagged the governor’s separate $1 million proposal for sexual-assault support for further adjustment talks with appropriations leadership.
Ending: Lawmakers acknowledged the magnitude of victim-service needs across New Mexico and flagged the request for further review during budget negotiations.
