On Nov. 2, 2023, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, or CCASA, and Violence Free Colorado rang the bell to alert legislators to the Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, funding crisis. Victim service organizations across the state and nationwide braced for significant cuts. In response, Gov. Jared Polis addressed the issue, declaring the state was actively helping victims get back on their feet and providing funds to seek support.
“The governor had put in three million dollars in his proposed budget and we’ve gotten a little bit more, but we’re still working with the Joint Budget Committee because our goal is to get $30 million for this next year because that’s what we need to just maintain our currency level of funding,” said Brie Franklin, executive director of CCASA.
Bucket List Community News has been monitoring the next moves toward securing funding for VOCA. After our initial story, Majority Leader Monica Duran introduced the Crime Victim and Survivor Services Funding Security Act, or HB24-1349, to the Colorado General Assembly on Feb. 28.
“The bulk of federal dollars that have been coming in have been slowly decreasing,” Duran said. “In 2018, the federal dollars were about $58 million, this year is down to $13 million. That is a huge drop and when you consider the 40 to 50% decrease. Now we’re talking about losing jobs, those who provide services. The need is great, but it’s not being compensated by the dollars.”
If passed, the bill would put an issue on Colorado ballots this November, asking voters to create a sustainable revenue stream for VOCA by increasing taxes on firearms, ammunition and gun parts sold in the state. The original language called for an 11% excise tax, but an amendment lowered the proposal to 9%.
“The reason we decided to put the excise tax on guns and ammunition is because this is about crime victims that are impacted. We talked about our school safety, we talked about at-risk youth, it’s all around crime violence,” Duran said.
Options for funding VOCA have become limited, as court fees and fines have been reduced in an effort to make the justice system more equitable. So Duran—along with supporting victim services organizations and community members—had to get creative. Although firearm sales are down nationwide from a peak in 2020, Colorado still ranks above average. There were just over 501,000 guns sold in the state in 2022, the 15th-highest rate in the country.
“We’re optimistic. There’s data around how much [firearm] sales occur each year. The bill is written so that the first $45 million goes to victim services,” Franklin said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a similar tax into law last year, making California the only state to have done this so far. But because Duran’s proposed legislation ultimately relies on voters’ approval, the amendment was added to make it more palatable. As the election year develops, Duran and supporters feel optimistic about Coloradans voting to raise taxes for public safety and crime victim needs.
“I think a lot of people don’t think about victim services and no one plans to be a victim until they are,” Franklin said. “These are such crucial services for people who have experienced crime that causes harm in many ways.”
Despite the conversations that arise from critics who argue this tax could be unconstitutional, Duran—a gun owner herself—counters that the bill does not impede on Second Amendment rights. As a survivor of domestic violence, she uses her experience to shape the way she approaches the subject.
“As a survivor, and being homeless with a two-year-old son, I never imagined that I’d come out the other end and be where I’m at now. That’s what I want every survivor to see and to know that they can come out the other end and it does take a village and removing barriers to get there,” Duran said.
Duran hopes that sharing her story and letting it guide her approach toward finding funding for victim services will help remove the stigma of speaking up.
“As a gun owner myself, I will happily pay nine percent, 12%, 20% because I know that the funding is going toward the need that is the greatest and making a difference,” Duran said. “I think about it as all the other Monicas that are out there, going through the same thing I went through, and now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just hope.”
To Duran, funding victim services sends a message to survivors.
“We want them to know that they matter,” Duran said.
Should there be a tax on firearms to support victim services in Colorado? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
