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119-s-4500119th Congress

VICTIM Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Kennedy, John [R-LA]

Introduced

Summary

create federal grants to improve homicide and firearm-crime clearance rates. This bill would have the Attorney General run a COPS grant program to pay for staffing, training, technology, victim services, reporting, and oversight aimed at raising clearance rates for homicides and firearm-related violent crimes.

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  • Local, state, and Tribal law enforcement could apply for money to hire and train homicide and firearm investigators and to buy or upgrade forensic and evidence-processing technology. Projects may also fund trauma-informed interviewing, officer stress programs, and internal policy changes to boost clearance.
  • At least 5 percent of each year’s funding would go to Tribal agencies and at least 5 percent to rural agencies, and the bill would authorize $60.0 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
  • Grant recipients must provide annual reports through fiscal year 2032 on staffing, training, technology, clearance rates, and victim and suspect demographics, while the DOJ Inspector General would audit the program and the National Institute of Justice would evaluate practices every two years.

*Would authorize $60.0 million per year for FY2027–FY2031, totaling $300.0 million in authorized appropriations.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

New grants to boost homicide clearances

If enacted, the Attorney General would create a grant program in the COPS office to raise clearance rates for homicides and firearm-related violent crimes. The program would get $60,000,000 a year for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 (about $300 million total). State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies or consortia could apply. Grants would fund hiring, training, forensic testing and equipment, victim services, and other activities that improve clearances. Agencies that hire with grant money would have to try in good faith to check applicants' prior disciplinary records through national decertification or prior-employer records. The Attorney General would have 180 days to set up the program and must send a plan within 60 days to allow a streamlined two-hour application process.

Annual reports and program audits

If enacted, each grant recipient would send annual reports to the Attorney General starting one year after their grant and continuing through fiscal year 2032. The Justice Department inspector general would begin audits the first fiscal year after the program starts and audit annually. A recipient with an unresolved IG finding about unallowable spending that is not corrected in 12 months would be barred from receiving grant funds the next fiscal year. The National Institute of Justice would evaluate practices and victim services every two years and the Attorney General would send results to Congress within 30 days.

New rules for counting clearances

If enacted, the bill would define key program terms. "Clearance by arrest" would mean an arrest, charge, and referral for prosecution or citation of a juvenile. "Clearance by exception" would mean a known suspect and sufficient evidence but an outside reason stops arrest, like suspect death or victim refusal. "Clearance rate" would be cleared offenses divided by reported offenses. The bill would also say that when two or more agencies work together, only the agency that started the investigation may count that clearance in its program report. "Rural" would mean an area not in an OMB metropolitan statistical area.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kennedy, John [R-LA]

LA • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/12/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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