Ted Poe: “Before I came to Congress, I spent my other life in the criminal justice system, first as a prosecutor in Texas, and…”

“Before I came to Congress, I spent my other life in the criminal justice system, first as a prosecutor in Texas, and then as a criminal court judge for over 22 years. I heard about 20,000 to 25,000 felony cases during that time, everything from stealing to killing. I saw a lot of people come to the courthouse, and most of those individuals did not want to be there. That included defendants, but it also included victims of crime. Victims were people from all types of backgrounds. Mr. Speaker, they all had something in common. They were a silent group of people who were preyed on by criminals. After the crime was over, many suffered for years. Finally, Congress came up with a novel idea, a law that established the Crime Victims Fund to support victims of crime. But instead of using taxpayer money for the fund, Congress had a different idea. Why not force the criminals, the traffickers, the abusers, and other folks to pay for restitution for the victims of crime. They inflicted pain and suffering on innocent people. They should be the ones to pay for that. So in 1984, when President Ronald Reagan was President, he signed the Victims of Crime Act, otherwise known to us as VOCA. Because of this new law, convicted felons in Federal Court are assessed fees and fines and must pay into the Crime Victims Fund.…”