On July 21, during the VOCA signing ceremony, U.S. President Joe Biden shared a story that moved him – a story that End Abuse Director of Policy and Systems Change Jenna Gormal offered from her previous experience as a shelter advocate. As she lobbied for the #VOCAFix over the past several months, her advocacy included educating lawmakers about the complex dynamics of abuse and the need for stable funding for local programs.

On July 20, with an extraordinary vote of 100 to 0, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 ("VOCA Fix"). The bill will impact over 6,000 local domestic violence shelters, child abuse treatment programs, elder fraud and abuse services, rape crisis centers, and legal services programs in every U.S. state and territory.