34 USC 20103 - Crime victim assistance

View all text of Subchapter I [§ 20101 - § 20111]

§ 20103. Crime victim assistance

(a) Grant authority of Director; chief executive of States; amount; insufficient funds

(1) Subject to the availability of money in the Fund, the Director shall make an annual grant from any portion of the Fund made available by section 20101(d)(2) 1

1 See References in Text note below.

of this title for the purpose of grants under this subsection, or for the purpose of grants under section 20102 of this title but not used for that purpose, to the chief executive of each State for the financial support of eligible crime victim assistance programs.

(2) Such chief executive shall—

(A) certify that priority shall be given to eligible crime victim assistance programs providing assistance to victims of sexual assault, spousal abuse, or child abuse;

(B) certify that funds shall be made available for grants to programs which serve previously underserved populations of victims of violent crime. The Director, after consultation with State and local officials and representatives from private organizations, shall issue guidelines to implement this section that provide flexibility to the States in determining the populations of victims of violent crimes that may be underserved in their respective States;

(C) certify that funds awarded to eligible crime victim assistance programs will not be used to supplant State and local funds otherwise available for crime victim assistance; and

(D) provide such other information and assurances related to the purposes of this section as the Director may reasonably require.

(3) The amounts of grants under paragraph (1) shall be—

(A) the base amount to each State; and

(B) that portion of the then remaining available money to each State that results from a distribution among the States on the basis of each State’s population in relation to the population of all States.

(4) If the amount available for grants under paragraph (1) is insufficient to provide the base amount to each State, the funds available shall be distributed equally among the States.

(5) As used in this subsection, the term “base amount” means—

(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), $500,000; and

(B) for the territories of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Republic of Palau, $200,000, with the Republic of Palau’s share governed by the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Republic of Palau.

(6) An agency of the Federal Government performing local law enforcement functions in and on behalf of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States may qualify as an eligible crime victim assistance program for the purpose of grants under this subsection, or for the purpose of grants under subsection (c)(1).

(7)

(A) Each chief executive may waive a matching requirement imposed by the Director, in accordance with subparagraph (B), as a condition for the receipt of funds under any program to provide assistance to victims of crimes authorized under this subchapter. The chief executive shall report to the Director the approval of any waiver of the matching requirement.

(B) Each chief executive shall establish and make public, a policy including—

(i) the manner in which an eligible crime victim assistance program can request a match waiver;

(ii) the criteria used to determine eligibility of the match waiver; and

(iii) the process for decision making and notifying the eligible crime victim assistance program of the decision.

(8) Beginning on the date a national emergency is declared under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to a pandemic and ending on the date that is one year after the date of the end of such national emergency, each chief executive shall issue waivers for any matching requirement, in its entirety, for all eligible crime victim assistance programs contracted to provide services at that time.

(b) Eligibility of program; factors; limitation on expending of sums

(1) A victim assistance program is an eligible crime victim assistance program for the purposes of this section if such program—

(A) is operated by a public agency or a nonprofit organization, or a combination of such agencies or organizations or of both such agencies and organizations, and provides services to victims of crime;

(B) demonstrates—

(i) a record of providing effective services to victims of crime and financial support from sources other than the Fund; or

(ii) substantial financial support from sources other than the Fund;

(C) utilizes volunteers in providing such services, unless and to the extent the chief executive determines that compelling reasons exist to waive this requirement;

(D) promotes within the community served coordinated public and private efforts to aid crime victims;

(E) assists potential recipients in seeking crime victim compensation benefits; and

(F) does not discriminate against victims because they disagree with the way the State is prosecuting the criminal case.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), an eligible crime victim assistance program shall expend sums received under subsection (a) only for providing services to victims of crime.

(3) Not more than 5 percent of sums received under subsection (a) may be used for training purposes and the administration of the State crime victim assistance program receiving such sums.

(1) The Director shall make grants—

(A) for victim services, demonstration projects, program evaluation, compliance efforts, and training and technical assistance services to eligible crime victim assistance programs;

(B) for the financial support of services to victims of Federal crime by eligible crime victim assistance programs; and

(C) for nonprofit neighborhood and community-based victim service organizations and coalitions to improve outreach and services to victims of crime.

(2) Of the amount available for grants under this subsection—

(A) not less than 50 percent shall be used for grants under paragraphs (1)(A) and (1)(C);

(B) not more than 50 percent shall be used for grants under paragraph (1)(B); and

(3) The Director shall—

(A) be responsible for monitoring compliance with guidelines for fair treatment of crime victims and witnesses issued under section 6 of the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982 (Public Law 97–291) [18 U.S.C. 1512 note];

(B) consult with the heads of Federal law enforcement agencies that have responsibilities affecting victims of Federal crimes;

(C) coordinate victim services provided by the Federal Government with victim services offered by other public agencies and nonprofit organizations;

(D) perform such other functions related to the purposes of this title 1 as the Director deems appropriate; and

(E) use funds made available to the Director under this subsection—

(i) for fellowships and clinical internships and for grants under subparagraphs (1)(A) and (B), pursuant to rules or guidelines that generally establish a publicly-announced, competitive process; and

(ii) to carry out programs of training and special workshops for the presentation and dissemination of information resulting from demonstrations, surveys, and special projects.

(4) The Director may reimburse other instrumentalities of the Federal Government and contract for the performance of functions authorized under this subsection.

(d) DefinitionsAs used in this section—

(1) the term “State” includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States; and

(2) the term “services to victims of crime” includes—

(A) crises intervention services;

(B) providing, in an emergency, transportation to court, short-term child care services, and temporary housing and security measures;

(D) payment of all reasonable costs for a forensic medical examination of a crime victim, to the extent that such costs are otherwise not reimbursed or paid;

(3) the term “services to victims of Federal crime” means services to victims of crime with respect to Federal crime, and includes—

(A) training of law enforcement personnel in the delivery of services to victims of Federal crime;

(B) preparation, publication, and distribution of informational materials—

(i) setting forth services offered to victims of crime; and

(ii) concerning services to victims of Federal crime for use by Federal law enforcement personnel; and

(C) salaries of personnel who provide services to victims of crime, to the extent that such personnel provide such services;

(4) the term “crises intervention services” means counseling to provide emotional support in crises arising from the occurrence of crime; and

(5) the term “chief executive” includes a person designated by a chief executive to perform the functions of the chief executive under this section.

(Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 1404, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2172; Pub. L. 99–401, title I, § 102(b)(4), (5), Aug. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 905; Pub. L. 99–646, § 71, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3617; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, §§ 7122, 7123(b)(4)–(9), 7127, 7128, title IX, § 9306(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4420, 4421, 4423, 4537; Pub. L. 103–317, title I, § 112, Aug. 26, 1994, 108 Stat. 1736; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXIII, §§ 230204, 230205, 230208, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2080; Pub. L. 104–132, title II, § 232(c)(2), Apr. 24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1244; Pub. L. 107–56, title VI, § 623, Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 372; Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, §§ 1131, 1133(b), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3107, 3108; Pub. L. 111–8, div. B, title II, Mar. 11, 2009, 123 Stat. 579; Pub. L. 114–324, § 17(a), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1962; Pub. L. 117–27, § 3, July 22, 2021, 135 Stat. 302.)