Rosenthal And Burdick’s Statement On Added Funds For Victim Services In State Budget

January 31, 2024

Assemblymembers Linda B. Rosenthal and Chris Burdick released the following statement.

The statement is regarding an important section in Governor Hochul’s proposed FY2025 budget:

After years of advocating for an increase in NYS funding to help victim services organizations, we applaud Governor Hochul for including in her proposed FY 2025 budget (released on January 16, 2024) an additional $120 million in NYS funding for crime victim service providers. The previous budget’s allocation was $43 million, which was not nearly enough for all the organizations that depend on this funding.

Federal Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) funding, traditionally a major source of funding for crime victim service providers, relies upon revenue created by fines and fees in federal cases, which have been dwindling in recent years.

The reduction in available funds has led to severe cuts to organizations that are crucial to the well-being of residents of our state including:

  • Domestic violence and rape crisis providers
  • Human trafficking services
  •  Local mental health and child and adult protective services
  •  Housing and homelessness responses for crime survivors
  •  Legal assistance for crime victims
  •  Hospital and emergency-based programs that perform rape kit and other medical examinations to crime survivors
  •  Prosecutor- and court-based programs that assist survivors through the court process and more, including child abuse, intimate partner violence, and family violence

Unfortunately, the need for these organizations has only continued to rise.New York State has long been a beacon of light and hope for so many.

As a state, we should be doing all that we can to help victims of crimes get the help and support they need to recover from their trauma. We will press hard in the Legislature’s budget discussions to ensure that the proposed funding remains intact and is included in the adopted budget.”


Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal was first elected in 2006 and serves as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing. Rosenthal also serves as a member of the Committees on Agriculture, Codes and Health. She represents the 67th Assembly district, which includes the Upper West Side of Manhattan and parts of Hell’s Kitchen.

Assemblymember Burdick

Assemblymember Burdick was first elected to represent the 93rd Assembly District in November 2020, assuming office in January of that year. He previously served for seven years as Bedford Town Supervisor. He serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities, as well as on the Banks, Correction, Environmental Conservation, Housing, People with Disabilities, and Veterans’ Affairs committees. The District includes the towns of Bedford, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge, and over half of the city of White Plains. 

Photo credit: NY state in Albany.


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