Congress expands Crime Victims Fund with declinations and fraud settlements

What it does

This bill directs the federal government to deposit money into the Crime Victims Fund from two new sources: (1) criminal cases that are declined for prosecution or end without conviction, and (2) settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act (a law that allows whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the government for fraud) — but only the portion that would normally go to the government, not amounts owed to whistleblowers or used to reimburse the government for direct damages. The False Claims Act deposits are temporary, ending September 30, 2030.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is to expand the revenue sources feeding the Crime Victims Fund, a dedicated account for victim services. It does not create new programs, impose restrictions on victims, or shift costs; it redirects existing settlement proceeds to an existing public benefit account.

What the text implies

• The False Claims Act deposit provision is temporary (through Sept. 30, 2030), creating a cliff that will reduce Crime Victims Fund revenue unless Congress reauthorizes it. Victim services may face funding pressure after 2030 unless the provision is extended.
• Declination deposits may incentivize prosecutors to formally decline cases (rather than leaving them pending) to trigger fund deposits, though the magnitude of this effect is unclear without historical declination data.
• The bill does not specify how the fund will allocate increased revenue among competing victim services (emergency assistance, counseling, restitution), leaving discretion to the fund administrator.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Crime victims receive services funded by this account (restitution, counseling, emergency assistance). Expanding deposit sources increases the fund's resources without reducing other public services or imposing new costs on citizens. The False Claims Act carve-out (excluding whistleblower payments and direct damages reimbursement) preserves incentives for fraud reporting and ensures the government recovers its direct losses.

Who stands to gain

• Crime victim service organizations and programs (nonprofits and government agencies administering vi

Named in the bill

Crime Victims Fund, Victims of Crime Act of 1984, False Claims Act, qui tam plaintiffs, U.S. Department of Justice

Where it stands

31 cosponsors: 16 Democrats, 15 Republicans.

• May 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• May 22, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $40,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Lisa Murkowski, the sponsor, reported $364,800 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Alliance to End Sexual Violence — $20,000 on 2 filings
• National Council of Jewish Women — $10,000 on 1 filing
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.