Hochul looks to offset lost federal funding for crime victims

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants the state to makeup a drop in federal dollars for crime victim services, according to her budget briefing book for the fiscal year that begins in April.

The executive budget proposal released on Tuesday includes $120 million in state funds for victim service providers, who have been bracing for a significant drop in funding from the Federal Victims of Crimes Act. The proposed state funding is in addition to $43 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget that was invested to address previous federal cuts.

“There’s a real recognition by the administration and by the state that we need to make sure that our crime victims are taken care of,” Elizabeth Cronin told The Capitol Pressroom earlier this month, shortly before stepping down as director of the State Office of Victim Services.

“By investing in people who have been wounded, whether emotionally or physically, the state is not only doing the right thing by those people, but it’s doing the right thing by the system,” she added.