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The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) won two significant
victories in Congress this month. The Senate Commerce, Justice,
Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee included $10 million
in funding for SASP when it marked up its Fiscal Year (FY) 2008
appropriations bill earlier this week, according to the National
Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). “Considering that
SASP was not in the president’s budget for 2008, this is a
remarkable achievement,” said Ilse Knecht, Deputy Director of
Public Policy at the NCVC.
Earlier in the month, the U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee
voted to fund SASP at the same level as the Senate bill in its
own FY 2008 appropriations bill, according to RAINN (the Rape,
Abuse and Incest National Network). If both the Senate and House
provisions hold up throughout the rest of the appropriations
process, it would represent the first time SASP has been funded
since it was first authorized in the Violence Against Women Act
in January 2006 to support direct services to victims of sexual
assault.
While these are significant victories, SASP funding is by no
means assured, as it is still early in appropriations
negotiations. Interested professionals are encouraged to follow
the process closely and take requested actions to help ensure
the SASP funding provisions make it to the final bill
which lands on the President’s Desk.
Meanwhile,
funding for the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program is
making its way through both Chambers of Congress, but through
different committees than SASP as RPE is administered by the
Department Of Health and Human Services (while SASP falls under
the Department of Justice). For more information visit
http://www.rainn.org/public-policy/legislative-agenda/victims-services. |
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