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Vermont crime‑victim center asks for small base boost, seeks transfer of visitation grants to DCF
Summary
The Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services told the Senate Appropriations Committee it seeks a 3% base increase (about $49,500) plus an additional $100,000 to cover unfunded administrative work tied to $2 million in passthrough grants, and supports language transferring $137,500 for supervised visitation grants to DCF to streamline reporting.
Jennifer Pullman, executive director of the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the agency is seeking a modest FY27 increase and a technical funding transfer to reduce administrative burdens.
Pullman said the center requested a 3% increase to its base general fund — about $49,500 — and an additional $100,000 to cover administrative support for more than $2 million in passthrough grants the agency administers to local programs. "We're asking for 5%... that's an additional $100,000," she said, explaining most of the roughly $2 million the Center distributes is passthrough funding and very little supports operations.
The center’s statutory status, Pullman said, contributes to its request. "The Center for Crime Victim Services is established as a state agency ... under 13 BSA 5361," she told senators, and because its staff are not state employees the organization cannot join certain state benefit plans, increasing its operating costs.
Pullman also described language approved by the House Appropriations Committee that would allow $137,500 in grants for supervised visitation programs to transfer to the Department for Children and Families (DCF). She said the six existing supervised‑visitation subgrantees currently report to both agencies, and transferring reporting to DCF would "streamline that funding source so they have one reporting place" and reduce duplicate site visits and reporting burdens.
On the victims' compensation fund, Pullman reported a projected deficit of $59,000 but noted the fund receives 75% federal reimbursement for payouts, an important offset. Carol Brochu, the center’s director of finance and administration, confirmed the 75% federal reimbursement rate and cautioned that restitution funds remain reliant on fines and fees that have declined over time.
Committee members asked for more precise base‑budget figures and per‑student or per‑participant details for related programs; Brochu and Pullman said they would provide exact numbers after the hearing. Pullman said the House had included the $100,000 addition in its action and that the center supports the language and amounts reported to the committee.
The committee concluded the exchange with thanks and an agreement to follow up if additional details were needed.
