As Victims' Rights Week begins, victims' advocates are seeking help from Hawaii's congressional delegation to restore money intended to help victims of violent crimes.
The Victims of Crime Act, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, collects fees and fines from federal criminal defendants and uses them for grants for compensation and services for victims locally. Congress caps how much money can be spent each fiscal year to keep a reserve in case less money is collected the next year. The current cap is $625 million.
The Bush administration wants to take away $1.2 billion dollars in reserves that would have been sitting in the fund at the beginning of fiscal year 2007 and divert that money, as well as any new revenues, into the government's general fund.
County Prosecuting Attorney Jay Kimura is among those who have asked the congressional delegation for their help in stopping that plan.
"I think it would be a terrible disservice to victims," Kimura said. "I understand the federal need for money to conduct their war, but these monies are monies that were set aside from fees by defendants in federal criminal cases ... specifically to assist victims. It doesn't affect taxes."
Adrian Kwock, branch chief of grants and planning for the state Attorney General's Office, said the state received nearly $1.9 million dollars in federal funds for victim services during the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2006. Of that, $277,000 came to the Big Island.
Phyliss Shinno, who runs the Victim/Witness Assistance Program out of Kimura's office, said the federal dollars represent 29 percent of the money the victim assistance program receives. Another 28 percent comes from the state, while the county funds 43 percent.
The federal dollars pay for two of the four Big Island counselors in the victim program, as well as for three secretaries. Those people could lose their jobs if the county loses the federal money, Shinno said.
The federal, state and county governments also reimburse victims of certain violent crimes for lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses for funerals and medical bills. The covered crimes on the Big Island include murder, sexual assault, assault, domestic violence, felony negligent homicide and felony negligent injury.
About $103,331 in federal funds came to 1,145 Big Island applicants during fiscal year 2004.
The prosecutor's office gives 30 to 40 percent of its grant money to nonprofit groups that provide services for victims of sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence, as well as to homicide victims' survivors.
Most of the remaining money that stays with the prosecutor's office is for salaries but some goes for miscellaneous services. For example, Shinno said, a woman whose mother was killed by a drunken driver received some money to fly to Oahu to participate in a hearing to determine when the driver would become eligible for parole.
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