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SB 794

NC Victims of Crime Assistance Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Woodson Bradley and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a dedicated NC Victims of Crime Assistance Fund to award grants and expand victim services, overseen by the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Passed 1st Reading
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Bill Summary · SB 794

Summary of SB 794 (Session 2025) – North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Act

Professional citation: Senate Bill 794 (S.B. 794), filed April 21, 2026. Primary sponsor: Senator Bradley. Co-sponsors: Senator Joyce Waddell and Senator Woodson Bradley. Referred to rules and operations. This summary covers the bill’s purpose, key provisions, affected parties, and timeline.

1) Purpose and overall intent

  • Create the North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Act, including:
    • A dedicated North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Fund (the Assistance Fund) within the Department of Public Safety.
    • A competitive grant program (North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Competitive Grant Program) to support victim assistance services.
  • Provide a structured funding mechanism to support programs aiding crime victims across the state, with oversight by the Governor’s Crime Commission (GCC).

2) Key provisions and changes

A. Establishment and governance

  • Adds a new Article 3 to Chapter 15B: the North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Act.
  • Definitions:
    • Assistance Fund: the new fund to finance grants.
    • Commission: Governor’s Crime Commission.
    • Grant Program: competitive grant program for victim assistance.
    • Victim: person suffering harm from crime.
    • Victim assistance program: public or nonprofit programs delivering victim services with demonstrated effectiveness.

B. Creation and administration of the Fund

  • Establishes the North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Fund as a special fund within the Department of Public Safety.
  • GCC administers the Fund using DPS personnel and resources.
  • Fund purposes: distribute grants under the Grant Program.
  • Fund sources: General Assembly appropriations, state-law sourced funds, and gifts/donations from public or private sources.

C. North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance Competitive Grant Program

  • Purpose: award and distribute grants to public or nonprofit organizations serving NC residents via victim assistance programs.
  • Guidelines and limitations:
    • Maximum grant amount per grant: $1,000,000.
    • Maximum total annual grant to a single grantee: $1,000,000 (yearly total; does not roll over from prior years).
    • Eligible activities for grantees: address emotional/physical needs, stabilization, understanding/participation in the justice system, and safety/security for victims.
    • Application requirements: must include geographic area served, needs assessment, plan to use funds, and organizational capacity (staffing, partnerships, existing funding, programs).
    • Reporting within 1 year of grant receipt: progress on plan, detailed fund uses, number of victims assisted, remaining funds, and any additional information required.
  • Reporting to legislature:
    • GCC must report annually by March 1 to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, covering grant awards, grantee reports, and current unencumbered funds.
  • Disbursement rule:
    • Grants may be delayed if fund balance is insufficient; no new awards until funds are available.

D. Funding mechanism adjustments (indirect impact on costs)

  • The act proposes to increase criminal court costs and marriage license fees to support the NC VOCA Fund (sections 2 and 3):
    • Costs in criminal actions (G.S. 7A-304): increases and allocations, including a $3.50 to the VOCA Fund from certain collected fees (with other fee allocations continuing). The effective date for this change is December 1, 2026.
    • Marriage license fees (G.S. 161-10): a portion of marriage license fees (raised to $65 total) would include a $5 allocation to the VOCA Fund. Effective December 1, 2026, for licenses issued on or after that date.

Note: The text indicates specific line items and percentages for fee allocations; the VOCA Fund would receive $3.50 from certain criminal court costs and $5 from marriage license fees, where applicable.

3) Who/what is affected

  • Victims of crime in North Carolina: receive potential access to expanded victim assistance services funded through the new Grant Program.
  • Public agencies and nonprofit organizations operating victim assistance programs: eligible grant recipients; required to meet program guidelines and reporting obligations.
  • Governor’s Crime Commission: designated administering body for the Fund and Grant Program.
  • Courts and prosecutors: subject to revised court cost structures and potential fee reallocations to the VOCA Fund (effective December 1, 2026).
  • Counties/municipalities: indirectly affected via program funding and reporting duties; marriage license offices will see fee structure changes.

4) Timing and effective dates

  • Effective upon passage for most provisions.
  • Sections 2 and 3 (funding-related adjustments) become effective December 1, 2026, and apply to costs/fees assessed on or after that date.
  • Annual reporting to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee begins as specified in the grant program guidelines (no later than March 1 each year).

5) Summary assessment (objective)

SB 794 establishes a dedicated funding mechanism and competitive grant program to strengthen NC victim services, funded by an earmarked VOCA Fund via court costs and marriage license fees (phased in December 2026). It outlines grant caps, reporting requirements, and program guidelines designed to ensure accountability and measurable impact on victims’ assistance services across the state. The act centralizes governance in the Governor’s Crime Commission and provides a framework for ongoing oversight by the General Assembly.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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