Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks, March 17, 2021 (E265–E266)
Summary
Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, pages E265 and E266, March 17, 2021. Jackson Lee, in remarks dated March 16, 2021, supports H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix Act of 2021, which would send monetary penalties from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the Crime Victims Fund instead of the Treasury. Schakowsky, under the heading Honoring Our Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Heroes, says estimates of American servicemembers who are unaccounted for number over 80,000, and commends Gene Spanos. Wilson of South Carolina states in a personal explanation how Wilson would have voted on Roll Call Nos. 78, 79, 80 and 81. Senate Committee Meetings listings follow, including hearings on the nominations of Samantha Power and Deanne Bennett Criswell.
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“Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks, March 17, 2021 (E265–E266).”
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March 17, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E265
Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of VOCA FIX TO SUSTAIN THE CRIME ecuted or settled, and the funding should be
Representatives to join me in honoring the life VICTIMS FUND ACT OF 2021 going to serve victims.
of Malcolm Dudley, a great and good man The VOCA Fix Act of 2021 fixes this by en-
SPEECH OF
who was a true patriot, and in extending our suring that monetary penalties associated with
condolences to his wife and his entire family. HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE deferred and non-prosecution agreements go
His was a life well-lived, one filled with gen- OF TEXAS into the Crime Victims Fund instead of into the
erosity, public service and care for others. He IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Treasury.
bettered our community and strengthened our This simple fix will prevent future funding
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
country. cuts that jeopardize programs’ abilities to
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise serve their communities and will help address
f in strong support of H.R. 1652, or the ‘‘VOCA the many growing and unmet needs of victims
Fix Act of 2021,’’ a critical piece of legislation and survivors, including survivors of domestic
HONORING OUR PRISONER OF
designed to curtail and prevent future cuts to violence.
WAR/MISSING IN ACTION HEROES
an already diminished federal victim service This legislation not only recognizes that it is
grants program. the victims of crime that bear the brunt of the
HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY This legislation must pass, because VOCA drastic cuts being made, but also that we must
OF ILLINOIS grants provide compensation to victims of protect those victims that have the courage to
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES crime at critical moments of desperate need. come forward and work together with the au-
VOCA funds could help compensate the thorities to bring justice to their offenders.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
only surviving victim of Robert Lee Haskell Victims who cooperate with authorities often
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise who, driven by vengeance, fatally shot six
today to recognize the sacrifices made by fear for their own safety and face pain at re-
members of his exwife’s family in Texas, in- visited trauma, and this legislation recognizes
American men and women in uniform today cluding four children.
and throughout our nation’s history. We should that rather than putting victims in further dan-
The survivor of Haskell’s rampage, a girl of
each take a moment to recognize the enor- ger, we create for them a safe environment—
only fifteen, was shot in the head and only
mous loss of Americans who leave their both physically and emotionally.
survived by playing dead. Victims may be intimidated by law enforce-
homes and families to serve their nation, and VOCA funds could help compensate the
whose fates are unknown—some captured ment or other government agencies, but if we
wife and two children of a man killed in a
and listed as prisoners of war, while many oth- want victims to fully and freely cooperate with
home intrusion in Harris County, Texas, after
ers are listed as missing in action. Their fami- the authorities, we must ensure that victims
an intruder entered the family’s home, ordered
lies endure tremendous grief and pain, know- feel protected and that there is no risk of be-
the wife and children to lock themselves into
ing that their loved one’s story may never be coming retraumatized.
a room, and then proceeded to shoot their
We must also make sure that if victims co-
revealed and that they may never be laid to husband and father.
VOCA funds could help compensate a operate with authorities, then measures to en-
rest.
woman who was abducted in Houston and sure the safety of victims will be provided in
Current estimates of American
forced to drive to an ATM at gunpoint, where our government agencies working in tandem
servicemembers who are unaccounted for
she withdrew cash to give to her abductors. with victim service providers.
number over 80,000. The vast majority of
VOCA funds could help compensate innu- Tomorrow, the House will vote on H.R.
these are from conflicts decades ago, and an-
merable victims and survivors of federal 1620, which will reauthorize the Violence
swers continue to elude us. We must continue
crimes, but only if we pass this legislation. Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994.
our efforts to make sure that all American
VOCA grants have been vital in their sup- We are doing so because we recognize the
servicemembers listed as POW or MIA are re-
port of traditional victim service providers urgency and dire need faced by the victims
turned and that we continue to remember and
across the nation, particularly for those organi- and survivors throughout this country during a
venerate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice
zations serving victims of domestic violence, significant moment of ongoing domestic vio-
in war.
sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking, and lence caused by this pandemic and experi-
I want to commend the efforts of Gene
drunk driving. enced by both women and men.
Spanos, a constituent of the 9th Congres-
VOCA grants also fund victim compensa- Although local victim services agencies are
sional District, who has spent a great deal of
tion, which helps survivors pay medical bills, there to help, they are facing record numbers
time and energy contributing to these efforts.
missed wages, and in the most severe cases, of clients as well as the economic con-
His ongoing missions include, but are not lim-
funeral costs. sequences of the pandemic.
ited to, pushing for recognition of American
However, the ‘‘federal grants used to sup- Without the VOCA Fix Act of 2021, sur-
POWs who died in captivity during the Korean
port victim services through VOCA have de- vivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
War, advocating for greater United Nations
creased significantly over the past several will inevitably lose access to victim support
support of POW-MIA recognition efforts, en-
years. services, leaving victims and survivors without
suring that potential MIA servicemember
Further drastic cuts to VOCA funding are options for safety and vulnerable to further vic-
gravesites are included in the Master Exca-
expected, as the non-taxpayerfunded pool timization.
vation listings country by country. The efforts Madam Speaker, the time is now to deliver
of Mr. Spanos and so many dedicated individ- from which these grants originate, the Crime
Victims Fund, is running dry. access to the services victims and survivors
uals around the country are ensuring that we so desperately need during a critical moment
The Crime Victims Fund serves as an ex-
continue to move forward on this critical issue. when the need for victim assistance has sky-
ample of true justice, because the money
Madam Speaker, I commend the work of my rocketed and programs are being forced to cut
used to support victims comes not from tax-
constituent Gene Spanos and his counterparts lifesaving services for victims.
payer dollars but rather from the criminal fines
who are dedicating their time and passion to
and penalties paid by federally convicted of- f
these efforts.
fenders.
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
f The Crime Victims Fund has shrunk rapidly
in recent years and continues to decline, be- Title IV of Senate Resolution 4,
PERSONAL EXPLANATION cause rather than prosecuting cases, the De- agreed to by the Senate of February 4,
partment of Justice increasingly settles cases 1977, calls for establishment of a sys-
HON. JOE WILSON through deferred prosecution and non-pros- tem for a computerized schedule of all
OF SOUTH CAROLINA ecution agreements, and the monetary pen- meetings and hearings of Senate com-
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES alties associated with these agreements are mittees, subcommittees, joint commit-
deposited into the Treasury rather than the tees, and committees of conference.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with REMARKS
Crime Victims Fund. This title requires all such committees
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam These agreements deny funding to victim to notify the Office of the Senate Daily
Speaker, I was unavoidably absent for votes services, which is contrary to the spirit of Digest—designated by the Rules Com-
on March 16, 2021. Had I been present, I VOCA: monetary penalties from crimes should mittee—of the time, place and purpose
would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 78, go to serve victims of crimes. of the meetings, when scheduled and
NAY on Roll Call No. 79, YEA on Roll Call No. The crimes from which these penalties are any cancellations or changes in the
80, and YEA on Roll Call No. 81. derived are the same, whether they are pros- meetings as they occur.
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E266 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks March 17, 2021
As an additional procedure along Committee on the Judiciary Committee on Homeland Security and
with the computerization of this infor- To hold hearings to examine constitu- Governmental Affairs
tional and common sense steps to re- Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight
mation, the Office of the Senate Daily To hold hearings to examine the Na-
duce gun violence.
Digest will prepare this information for SH–216 tional Response Enterprise, focusing on
printing in the Extensions of Remarks 2:30 p.m. preparing for future crises.
section of the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Committee on Foreign Relations SD–342/VTC
on Monday and Wednesday of each Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Se- Committee on Rules and Administration
curity Cooperation To hold hearings to examine S. 1, to ex-
week. pand Americans’ access to the ballot
To hold hearings to examine bolstering
Meetings scheduled for Thursday, box, reduce the influence of big money
democracy in Georgia.
March 18, 2021 may be found in the in politics, strengthen ethics rules for
SD–106/VTC
public servants, and implement other
Daily Digest of today’s RECORD. Committee on Homeland Security and anti-corruption measures for the pur-
Governmental Affairs pose of fortifying our democracy.
To hold hearings to examine the 2020 cen- SR–301
MEETINGS SCHEDULED sus and current activities of the Census 2:30 p.m.
MARCH 22 Bureau. Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
6 p.m. SD–342 sources
Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Water and Power
To receive a closed briefing on the policy MARCH 24 To hold hearings to examine the viabil-
and legal rationale of U.S. airstrikes in 9 a.m. ity of incorporating natural infrastruc-
Syria. Committee on Armed Services ture in western water management and
SVC–217 Subcommittee on Cybersecurity policy to support economic develop-
To receive a closed briefing on Depart- ment, protect watershed health, and
MARCH 23 ment of Defense cyber operations. build more resilient communities.
9:30 a.m. SD–366
SVC–217
Committee on Armed Services Committee on Indian Affairs
10 a.m.
To hold hearings to examine the nomina- To hold an oversight hearing to examine
Committee on Banking, Housing, and
tion of Admiral John C. Aquilino, USN, water infrastructure needs for Native
Urban Affairs communities.
for reappointment to the grade of ad- To hold hearings to examine the quar-
miral and to be Commander, United SD–628
terly CARES Act report to Congress. Committee on Small Business and Entre-
States Indo-Pacific Command, Depart-
WEBEX preneurship
ment of Defense.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and To hold an oversight hearing to examine
SD–G50
10 a.m. Transportation Small Business Administration’s
Committee on Finance Business meeting to consider the nomi- COVID–19 relief programs.
To hold hearings to examine how U.S. nation of Polly Ellen Trottenberg, of SD–215
international tax policy impacts Amer- New York, to be Deputy Secretary of 3 p.m.
ican workers, jobs, and investment. Transportation, and a routine list in Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
WEBEX the Coast Guard; to be immediately To hold hearings to examine veterans’
Committee on Foreign Relations followed by a hearing to examine re- mental health and implementation of
To hold hearings to examine the nomina- building America’s transportation in- the Hannon Act, focusing on coping
tion of Samantha Power, of Massachu- frastructure. during COVID.
setts, to be Administrator of the SH–216 SD–G50
United States Agency for International Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
Development. and Pensions MARCH 25
SD–106/VTC To hold hearings to examine the nomina- 10:15 a.m.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, tion of Cynthia Minette Marten, of Committee on Homeland Security and
and Pensions California, to be Deputy Secretary of Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Primary Health and Re- Education. To hold hearings to examine the nomina-
tirement Security SD–430 tion of Deanne Bennett Criswell, of
To hold hearings to examine why the New York, to be Administrator of the
U.S. pays the highest prices in the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
world for prescription drugs. cy, Department of Homeland Security.
SD–430 SD–342/VTC
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with REMARKS
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