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County attorneys, prosecutors urge state support for victim-advocate programs as federal grants shrink
Summary
County attorneys and a Billings prosecutor told the Section D subcommittee that federal grants for victim-witness advocacy have declined while local demand has grown, and they urged legislative supplementation to preserve advocates' roles.
Two county attorneys and a Billings domestic-violence prosecutor provided public comment to the Section D subcommittee urging the Legislature to bolster funding for local victim-advocate programs as federal grant dollars decline.
Fergus County Attorney Kent Sipe described long experience applying for federal victim-services grants and said federal awards have fallen while local needs have increased. "Over that time I've applied for the Voca grants... that funding from the federal program has consistently gone down and we have more and more need for those funds," Sipe said. He asked the committee to consider supplementing those programs so victim-advocate positions do not vanish when grants expire.
Billings domestic-violence prosecutor Halverson told the committee the city relies on three victim advocates embedded with prosecutors, and that advocates keep victims engaged in prosecutorial processes that otherwise are hard to sustain. "The work they do makes my job possible," Halverson said, adding that advocates help disrupt recurring violence and support prosecution of domestic violence cases.
Both speakers said the advocates provide crisis contacts, help victims find services and facilitate prosecutions. Sipe noted that only four states rely entirely on federal funding for these programs and said Montana is one of them; he urged the subcommittee to examine additional revenue or statutory options to ensure continuance of local advocacy positions.
Ending: The committee did not take action during public comment. Staff and committee members asked for follow-up materials and said they would consider the request when allocating victim-services and DOJ budgets.
