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Advocates ask legislature to shore up domestic-violence special fund and finance supervised visitation
Summary
Sarah Robinson of the Vermont Network told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 that revenues to the domestic and sexual violence special fund have declined and requested $450,000 in base funding, $95,000 for fund administration and $717,000 to support a statewide supervised-visitation system.
Sarah Robinson, co-executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and [Sexual] Violence, told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 that the state’s domestic and sexual violence special fund has experienced significant revenue declines and asked lawmakers for base funding to prevent cuts to critical services.
Robinson said members of the network — 15 independent nonprofit organizations that together cover the entire state — answered about 23,000 hotline calls in 2025 and provided in-person support to about 8,000 individuals. She said the special fund’s revenue sources (a surcharge on civil and criminal judgments and a surcharge on marriage licenses) have not kept pace with costs and that some network members depend on federal funds for as much as 90% of their budgets.
The network requested $450,000 in base funding to level fund grantees next fiscal year, and Robinson said the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services has requested $95,000 to administer the special funds; combined, the network described these items as necessary to avoid cuts on July 1. Separately, tied to work led by House Human Services, Robinson asked for $717,000 to the Department for Children and Families to support a statewide community‑based supervised‑visitation system for court‑ordered or DCF‑ordered monitored parenting time.
In questions, members asked about long‑term sustainability and alternative revenue sources. Robinson described the funding‑distribution formula (square miles served, regional population and service types), warned that even small reductions (for some small organizations, a $25,000 loss equals roughly half a staff position) have outsized operational impact, and said the network’s analysis estimates the fund should ultimately support around $5,000,000 in annual expenses to meet present needs.
Robinson asked the committee to prioritize level funding in its memo to appropriations; committee members thanked the witness and moved on to the next scheduled presenter.
