SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 440 Offered January 18, 2007 Commending the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. ---------- Patron-- Stolle ----------

WHEREAS, the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1977 in recognition of the Commonwealth’s “moral responsibility” to “aid, care, and support” victims of violent crime by easing the financial burden that crime often creates; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth was the 17th state to create a crime victim compensation program, programs that now exist in all 50 states and in all United States territories; and

WHEREAS, the Honorable John Melnick, Delegate from Arlington, was the patron of House Bill 1093 that established the Fund; and

WHEREAS, the commissioners of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission at that time, Robert P. Joyner, Thomas M. Miller, and M.E. Evans, offered to administer the Fund on behalf of all victims of violent crime in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Fund, solely funded by fines and fees levied against offenders at the state and federal level, has reimbursed approximately 35,000 victims of violent crime in excess of $46,000,000 of their crime related expenses; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, the Fund was recognized by the Virginia Network for Victims and Witnesses of Crime as Program of the Year for excellence in service to victims; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, the Secretary of the Navy recognized the Fund for its “generous and untiring” service to victims of the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon; and

WHEREAS, the Fund maintains its commitment to administering the Compensating Victims of Crime Act in a compassionate, fair, and efficient manner, recognizing the tremendous impact that violent crime has upon our society; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund on celebrating 30 years of exemplary service to the victims of violent crime and to the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission on the occasion of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund’s 30th anniversary as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for the Fund’s ongoing dedication to victims of violent crime in the Commonwealth of Virginia and best wishes for continued success in the years ahead.