Washington, D.C. – After weeks of delays, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto announced that $39.8 million in federal funding will be coming to Nevada from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to support victims of crimes. Cortez Masto secured this funding through recent appropriations bills, but disbursement has been held up since the beginning of April. These federal grants include $7.9 million in Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) funding to assist with the ongoing Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting recovery, as well as $29.6 million in VOCA Victim Assistance funding from FY18 and FY20 that had not been released to the state, which will provide support services and resources for victims of crimes like sexual assault and domestic violence. Senator Cortez Masto’s office has been working behind the scenes to advocate for the immediate release of these funds, which were made available to the state this week.
“I’m very pleased to announce that the Department of Justice is heeding my call and releasing these federal dollars I secured for our nonprofit service providers and the crime victims they serve. This federal funding will help us provide Route 91 survivors with the support they need to heal and provide victim compensation and resources to Nevadans who have experienced crimes such as domestic violence and sexual assault. Protecting Nevadans has been my top priority ever since my time as Attorney General, and I will continue to make sure that survivors in our state get the help they deserve from our federal government.”
The DOJ funding announced by Senator Cortez Masto includes:
- $7,938,571 in FY19 AEAP funding
- $2,252,000 in FY20 VOCA Compensation funding
- $13,901,390 in FY18 VOCA Victim Assistance funding
- $15,732,749 in FY20 VOCA Victim Assistance funding
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