Georgia governor announces more funds for victim services programs

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced a second increase to Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Victim’s Services grant program.

As previously reported by Channel 2 Action News in December, Kemp said the state would invest $13.2 million in federal funds for the program.

On Monday, Kemp directed state officials to increase the amount by another $26 million from the remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds held by the state for the 2025 fiscal year.

In total, Georgia has used $94.2 million from ARPA funds to provide money to the grant program, according to the governor’s office.

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“I’m grateful we’re able to provide these desperately needed funds to support the victims of crime as the federal government fails to live up to their promises,” Kemp said in a statement. “Following the Biden administration’s decision to renege on its commitment to victims of violent crime, we took action to fund this vital program, and now we are again standing in that gap so that those who have suffered already need not suffer further.”

As previously reported by Channel 2 Action News, focused on documents published by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Crime Victims Fund Obligation Limit implemented by U.S. Congress for the coming budget plan was lowered to $1.2 billion. The overall fund obligation cap was set at $700 million, compared to the previous year’s $1.9 billion, signifying a drop of roughly 37% from 2023. In 2022, the budget was dropped 27%.

The governor’s office also said the initial increases for the Victim’s Services grant were announced after federal cuts to the national Crime Victims Fund, called the Victims of Crime Act funds, “despite a continued and heightened need for services as a result of increases in crime during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

On Feb. 5, the federal Office for Victims of Crime proposed a rule change to how VOCA funds are provided to states and awarded from the CVF.

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According to officials, the proposed rule would address concerns raised by partner organizations, such as the need to:

• Expand allowable services and expenses.
• Clarify statutory program requirements.
• Increase outreach to Tribal communities.
• Strengthen victim confidentiality protections.

More specifically, the OVC proposal says it would let states adopt new policies that would cover expenses to victims for dental services and devices with a state-defined cost threshold, for when the services are needed due to a physical injury resulting from a compensable crime.

Additionally, similar coverage options would be available for medical expenses and mental health counseling and care covered by the state, in a limited though proposed broader, expense allowance.

The OVC proposal also would lower the threshold for states to request funds reimbursement for costs of personnel who work on recovery efforts, among other changes detailed here.

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The proposal also specifically mentions adding a ban on states denying claims based upon criminal history, citing a historic “disparate treatment in the criminal justice system” based on populations’ demographic differences.

“Certain populations may be more likely to have criminal history due to unjustified disparate treatment in the criminal justice system or due to criminal conduct induced through force, fraud, or coercion, such as unlawful acts that traffickers compelled their victims to commit, and this can result in unjustifiably disproportionate denial of claims for those populations,” the proposal says.

In January, Channel 2′s Richard Elliot reported on Georgia’s opening of a new facility to help survivors of human trafficking called Grace’s Place, named for the Grace Commission.

Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp has spearheaded the commission in Georgia. Officials told Channel 2 Action News that the facility will be a home for human trafficking victims, and opened in Gwinnett County last month.

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