Ted Poe: “In the early days of 1984, Congress came up with a unique idea: with Congress' support, President Ronald Reagan signed…”

“In the early days of 1984, Congress came up with a unique idea: with Congress' support, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Victims of Crime Act, otherwise known as VOCA. This law established the Crime Victims Fund, with the sole purpose of supporting crime victims throughout the United States. But instead of using taxpayer money for the fund, Congress came up with a novel idea: Why not force the criminals, the traffickers, the abusers, the scourges on society, to pay for the restitution to their victims? They inflicted pain and suffering on innocent people, so they should be the ones, literally, to pay for their crimes. Because of the new law, convicted felons in Federal court who are assessed fines and fees pay into the Crime Victims Fund. The money in the fund is used for a wide range of victims' services: It pays for domestic violence shelters where spouses can recover from their abusers; It funds rape crisis coalition centers; It funds children's assessment centers like the one in my hometown of Houston; It sends money to victim advocates throughout the United States who go to court with victims of crime; It gives victims restitution and pays for critical medical and mental health programs. It is a really good idea, Mr. Speaker. Over the years, because our Federal judges have continued to fine and assess greater and greater penalties to the criminals, the VOCA fund currently holds--get this, Mr. Speaker--$12 billion.…”