Title: Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act of 2018
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act of 2018
This bill prohibits the receipts and disbursements of the Crime Victims Fund from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of: (1) the budget of the U.S. government, as submitted by the President; or (2) the congressional budget.
The bill establishes a point of order against considering legislation in the House or the Senate that authorizes the use of, or appropriates, amounts in the Crime Victims Fund for any purpose other than a purpose authorized by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. In the Senate, the point of order may be waived or suspended only by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn (currently 60 votes).
The bill also exempts the Crime Victims Fund from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)



[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5363 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5363

                  To safeguard the Crime Victims Fund.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2018

 Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself and Mr. Costa) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in 
addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Judiciary, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                  To safeguard the Crime Victims Fund.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF CRIME VICTIMS FUND FROM ALL BUDGETS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the receipts and 
disbursements of the Crime Victims Fund (established under section 1402 
of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101)) shall not be 
counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or 
surplus for purposes of--
            (1) the budget of the United States Government, as 
        submitted by the President; or
            (2) the congressional budget.

SEC. 3. LOCK-BOX PROTECTION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it 
shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to 
consider any measure that would authorize the use of, or appropriate, 
amounts in the Crime Victims Fund, established under section 1402 of 
the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101), including amounts 
in such Fund that are designated to remain in the Fund for obligation 
in future fiscal years, for any purpose other than a purpose authorized 
under such Act.
    (b) 60-Vote Waiver Required in the Senate.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (a) may be waived or suspended 
        in the Senate only by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of 
        the Members, duly chosen and sworn.
            (2) Appeals.--
                    (A) Procedure.--Appeals in the Senate from the 
                decisions of the Chair relating to paragraph (1) shall 
                be limited to 1 hour, to be equally divided between, 
                and controlled by, the mover and the manager of the 
                measure that would authorize the payment or use of 
                amounts in the Crime Victims Fund for a purpose other 
                than a purpose authorized under the Victims of Crime 
                Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101).
                    (B) 60 votes required.--An affirmative vote of 
                three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn, 
                shall be required in the Senate to sustain an appeal of 
                the ruling of the Chair on a point of order raised in 
                relation to paragraph (1).
    (c) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--This section is enacted by 
Congress--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate, respectively, and as such they 
        shall be considered as part of the rules of each House, 
        respectively, or of that House to which they specifically 
        apply, and such rules shall supersede other rules only to the 
        extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        either House to change the rules (so far as relating to such 
        House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent 
        as in the case of any other rule of that House.

SEC. 4. EXEMPTION FROM SEQUESTRATION.

    The Crime Victims Fund (established under section 1402 of the 
Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101)) shall be exempt from 
sequestration, including any reduction under any order issued under the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 
et seq.).
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