Nevada law enforcement is being inundated with a steady rise in rape and domestic violence cases far and above the growth in population. This trend had been obvious over the last five years. Case counts show that reported rape increased by almost 25% from 2017 to 2018, and domestic violence cases have increased by almost 2% percent per year. On March 8, Nevada's Democrat senators came together to co-sponsor a bill that would increase aid to victims of these crimes. Senators Julia Ratti, Nicole Cannizzaro, and Melanie Scheible introduced Senate Bill 177 (SB177) that amends current law and increases grant funding for aid for domestic violence victims and extends funding for services to sexual violence victims.
The Administrator of the Division of Child and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services administers the state Account for Aid for Victims of Domestic Violence (the Account) in the State's General Fund. County clerks collect fees when issuing a marriage license, and a portion of the license fee is dedicated to the Account. SB177 proposes to increase the portion of the marriage license fee that funds the Account from $25 to $50. Today in Churchill County, the marriage license fee is $75.
Current law states a nonprofit organization is eligible for a grant from the Account if, among other requirements, the organization provides its services exclusively for victims of domestic violence within the state. It governs the allocation of money in the Account for grants for each county. It also requires that counties with a minimum population of 700,000, at least 15% of all money received from the Account go to an organization that has been specifically created to assist victims of sexual assault. At present, only Clark County meets that population criterion.
SB177 would revise the eligibility criteria so that nonprofit organizations located in any county may provide their services exclusively for victims of domestic violence. It would also exclude nonprofit organizations from having to provide shelter on any day, at any hour, and have facilities where food can be stored and prepared for sexual violence victims.
The new bill would require that 75% of the money received from the Account by each county be allocated for services for victims of domestic violence and 25% for services for victims of sexual violence, making it the first statewide funding for sexual violence services. The Account will also be renamed to the Account for Aid for Victims of Domestic or Sexual Violence to reflect the additional use of money for services for victims of sexual violence.
"Nevada's population has continued to explode, as have, sadly, crimes of domestic and sexual violence," Ratti said in a press statement from the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCEDSV). "This year, we are asking the Nevada Legislature to extend that small but reliable funding stream to sexual violence service providers as well," she said. NCEDSV has expressed its support of SB177 to news outlets, referring to the bill as a positive addition to the current sexual violence legislation. NCEDSV's recent Call to Action stated, “We know that for every reported number (case) to law enforcement there are a handful of victim-survivors not reporting but seeking the lifesaving services of advocacy organizations.”
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