Kilmartin joins AGs in victim-fund request

PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin joined 50 other state and territorial attorneys general this month in urging Congress to increase the cap on the Crime Victims Fund.
In a letter, the group called for Congress to increase the cap on money released to states each year through the Crime Victims Fund to at least $1 billion so victims can access services they need. The Crime Victims Fund was created as part of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and is funded through collections from criminal fines, special assessments and other penalties paid by federal criminal offenders. The fund, which does not include taxpayer money, has a projected $7.4 billion balance for fiscal 2012.
Congress placed a spending limit on annual fund obligations, but promised to retain all amounts in the fund exclusively to support crime victim services. &#8226