Letter to the Hon. Jose Serrano, Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Hon. Robert Aderholt, Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Hon. Rosa DeLauro, Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Hon. Tom Cole, Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations - Kuster, Olson, Moore, McMorris Rodgers, Speier Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging Funding that Addresses and Prevents Sexual Violence

Letter

Dear Chairman Serrano, Chairwoman DeLauro, Ranking Member Aderholt and Ranking Member Cole:

As final negotiations on FY 2020 appropriations are underway, we thank you and encourage you to maintain the House-passed funding levels for vital programs that address domestic and sexual violence, in particular the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). These key federal funding streams are the cornerstones to ending gender-based violence.

Violence against women is contrary to our values and we have a responsibility to prevent and address it. However, there is also an economic case for funding these key programs. Each year, intimate partner violence generates more than $9.05 billion in costs for victims, private companies, and states, including $1.34 billion (8 million days) lost from work. Sexual violence is also very costly. Recent estimates put the cost of rape at $122,461 per victim, including medical costs, lost productivity, criminal justice activities, and other costs.

Providing early response, support services, and prevention programs to reduce domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking helps to reduce these costs and save large amounts of public dollars. Otherwise, funding will be spent responding to these crimes through law enforcement, health care, and homeless services, among other services.

All three of these programs are essential and need to be funded at the House-passed funding levels. They all serve related but different purposes and fund different activities:

1. Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Family Violence Prevention and Services Act is the first and only dedicated funding source for domestic violence services, and funds emergency shelters, crisis lines, counseling, victim assistance, and other vital services including specialized services for children exposed to domestic violence. We are grateful that the House voted to fully fund FVPSA at $175 million for an increase of $10.5 million over FY 2019. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet reported its Labor-HHS bill.
2. Each Violence Against Women Act program helps ensure that victims are safe, offenders are held accountable, and communities are secure. The House funded VAWA at $590.50 million and the Senate funded VAWA at $500 million. We urge you to push for the higher numbers.
-For example, the Rural Services program helps women living in rural and isolated areas receive services, with over 25% of these victims living more than 40 miles from the closest service provider. In order to address this disparity, the House approved $50 million for the Rural program, while the Senate has approved $43.5 million.
-Another program that received higher funding in the House was the Consolidated Youth and Prevention Program which helps children exposed to violence and abuse, prevents teen dating violence, and engages men and boys in an effort to combat violence against women and girls. To support these efforts, the House approved $20 million for the Consolidated Youth program, while the Senate has approved $11 million.
-The need can be made for every VAWA program from the largest programs such as STOP Grants that go out to states, the Sexual Assault Services Program, or the Transitional Housing Program. There is also a great need for more resources to the smallest programs such as services for disabled, elderly, and specific populations such as American Indian and Alaska Native victims. VAWA also funds resource centers such as the Workplace Resource Center to help employers address and prevent violence and abuse, including harassment in the workplace, and critically important public health programs at HHS such as the Rape Prevention and Education Program and Violence Against Women Health State Partnership Initiative.
3. Finally, VOCA uses non-taxpayer money from the Crime Victims Fund for programs that directly serve victims of all types of crimes, including by providing domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child abuse treatment programs for victims of domestic violence. We urge you to set the VOCA cap at an average of the past three years' deposits into the VOCA account, maintain a tribal funding stream in VOCA not to transfer funds from VOCA to fund other programs.

Again, we are grateful the leadership you have exhibited in securing such strong funding to address and prevent this type of violence and abuse, and we ask that you do all in your power to maintain the House funding levels in the final appropriations legislation for FY 2020. Please let us know how we can be of assistance.