In 1984, the Crime Victims Fund (CVF, or the Fund) was established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA, P.L. 98-473 ) to provide funding for state victim compensation and assistance programs. Since 1984, VOCA has been amended several times to support additional victim-related activities. These amendments established within the CVF discretionary grants for private organizations; the Federal Victim Notification System; funding for victim assistance staff in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA); funding for the Children's Justice Act Program; and assistance and compensation for victims of terrorism. In 1988, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) was formally established within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to administer the CVF. As authorized by VOCA, the OVC awards CVF money through formula and discretionary grants to states, local units of government, individuals, and other entities. The OVC also distributes CVF money to specially designated programs, such as the Children's Justice Act Program and the Federal Victim Notification System (see Figure 1 ). The OVC's mission is to enhance the nation's capacity to assist crime victims and to improve attitudes, policies, and practices that promote justice and help victims. According to the OVC, this mission is accomplished by (1) administering the CVF, (2) supporting direct services for victims, (3) providing training programs for service providers, (4) sponsoring the development of best practices for service providers, and (5) producing reports on best practices. The OVC funds victim-support programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. Notably, Congress has amended VOCA several times to provide support for victims of terrorism. These amendments established CVF-funded programs for (1) assistance to victims of terrorism who are injured or killed as a result of a terrorist act outside the United States, (2) compensation and assistance to victims of terrorism within the United States, and (3) an antiterrorism emergency reserve fund to support victims of terrorism. This report provides background and funding information for VOCA programs and the CVF. It describes the process through which CVF funds are allocated and explains how the CVF impacts the annual budget for DOJ. It then provides an analysis of selected issues that Congress may consider regarding the CVF and the federal budget. The CVF does not receive appropriated funding. Rather, deposits to the CVF come from a number of sources including criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, federal courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons from offenders convicted of federal crimes. In 2001, the USA PATRIOT Act ( P.L. 107-56 ) established that gifts, bequests, or donations from private entities could also be deposited to the CVF. The largest source of deposits into the CVF is criminal fines. Large criminal fines, if collected, can have a significant effect on deposits into receipts for the CVF. For example, from FY1996 through FY2004, fines collected from 12 defendants in federal courts accounted for 45% of all deposits to the CVF during this time period. Table 1 provides the amounts deposited into the CVF in each fiscal year from 1985 through 2016. As Table 1 illustrates, since 2000 there has been considerable fluctuation in the amounts deposited each fiscal year. For example, from FY2013 to FY2014 the monetary amount collected rose by over 140% and then decreased by approximately 26.0% in FY2015. This was followed by a 43.7% decrease in FY2016. Table 1 provides the annual amounts collected from FY1985 through FY2016. During the last decade, over $20 billion has been deposited into the CVF. Large criminal fines levied in cases of financial fraud and other white collar crimes likely contributed to the sizeable growth of the Fund. Although OVC had expected deposits to remain high due to major fines levied against federal offenders (in particular, against corporate violators of federal law), deposits into the Fund fluctuate from year to year and sometimes decrease, as they did from FY2015 to FY2016. Further, DOJ has identified the prosecution of violent offenders as a priority. While this does not mean that prosecutions against corporate offenders that pay substantial criminal fines will decline, if these prosecutions were to decline it may effect a further decline in the deposit amounts to the CVF. In the history of the CVF, two caps have affected the balance and distribution of the Fund: a cap on deposits and an obligation cap. In 1984, Congress placed a cap on how much could be deposited into the CVF for the first eight years. As shown in Table 1 , from FY1985 through FY1992, the annual cap on deposits ranged from $100 million to $150 million. In 1993, Congress lifted the cap on deposits, establishing that all criminal fines, special assessments, and forfeited bail bonds could be deposited into the CVF. From FY1985 to FY1998, deposits collected in each fiscal year were distributed in the following fiscal year to support crime victims services. In 2000, Congress established an annual obligation cap on the amount of CVF funds available for distribution to reduce the impact of fluctuating deposits and ensure the stability of funds for programs and activities. Congress establishes the CVF cap each year as a part of the appropriations for DOJ. In FY2015, Congress set the CVF obligation cap at $2.361 billion, a 216.9% increase over the FY2014 cap. Congress did not specify directions for the increase in CVF funds, which were distributed to crime victims programs according to the formula established by VOCA. In FY2016, Congress set the cap at $3.042 billion, a further increase to the cap; however, $379 million was transferred to the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) for purposes outside of VOCA and $10 million was designated for the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for oversight and auditing purposes. After deducting these amounts specified in P.L. 114-113 , the obligation cap was equal to $2.653 billion, a 12.4% increase over the FY2015 cap. In FY2017, however, Congress set the cap at $2.573 billion, a 15.4% decrease compared to the FY2016 cap. From this amount, $326 million was transferred to OVW (again for purposes outside of VOCA) and $10 million was again designated for the DOJ OIG for oversight and auditing purposes. Of note, the Administration's FY2018 budget request specifies that $610 million be transferred from the CVF to OVW and agencies within the Office of Justice Programs for non-VOCA grant programs. In the accompanying explanatory statement for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 (Division B, P.L. 115-31 ), Congress explains that collections into the CVF have slowed, and to ensure solvency of the Fund the FY2017 obligation cap was calculated based on the three-year average of collections into the CVF. Language restricting the use of certain funds, particularly as they relate to abortions, is commonly included in appropriations language. Appropriations riders may or may not apply to the programs authorized by the CVF, depending on how those riders are framed. Amounts in the CVF are not appropriated; rather, the CVF is funded through fines and penalties as specified in VOCA. Funding for a current year's grants is provided by the previous year's deposits to the CVF, and the OVC is authorized to use the capped amount for grant awards in a given year. After the yearly allocations are distributed, the remaining balance in the CVF is retained for future expenditures. The difference between the fund's balance and the capped amount due to the obligation limitation is scored as a reduction or offset (i.e., as a Change in Mandatory Program or CHIMP) in the DOJ total discretionary spending in a given fiscal year. Moreover, that offset also affects the discretionary spending total in measures reported in the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. VOCA law requires that all sums deposited in a fiscal year that are not obligated must remain in the CVF for obligation in future fiscal years. If collections in a previous year exceed the obligation cap, amounts over the cap are credited to the CVF, also referred to as the "rainy day" fund, for future program benefits. For example, in FY2000 funding for the year was capped at $500 million despite the fact that collections were over $985 million in FY1999. In FY2000, approximately $485 million remained in the CVF and was credited for future use. Table 1 provides the balances that remain credited to the CVF at the end of each fiscal year from FY2000 through FY2016. As previously stated, the OVC awards CVF money through formula and discretionary grants to states, local units of government, individuals, and other entities. The OVC also awards CVF money to specially designated programs. Grants are allocated according to statute (see Figure 1 ) established by the VOCA. The OVC and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) manage the Children's Justice Act Program, a grant program designed to improve the investigation, handling, and prosecution of child abuse cases. Up to $20 million must be distributed annually to the Children's Justice Act Program. Of the designated funds, ACF receives up to $17 million to manage this program for the states, while the OVC distributes up to $3 million for tribal populations. In FY2016, the ACF received $17.36 million from the CVF to fund the Children's Justice Act Program.