DLS says governor's crime office budget grows slightly; advocates warn of kit backlog, urge restored victim-service funding

Madeline Miller, the Department of Legislative Services analyst, told the Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee on Feb. 19 that the governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy's FY27 allowance is $347,700,000, a growth of under 1 percent from the prior year, but that the office administers the bulk of the state's criminal‑justice grant spending — more than $285 million in fiscal 2025 awarded to roughly 1,030 subgrantees.

"About 53% of the funds awarded were for crime prevention purposes and 34% were for victim services providers," Miller said, and noted DLS concerns about altered managing‑for‑results measures and the agency’s discontinuation of several recently reported performance metrics.

GOCAP Executive Director Dorothy Lennig thanked DLS for the review and described the agency’s victim‑services work, including distribution of VOCA assistance dollars and operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) and an assault‑evidence‑kit reimbursement unit. "We have an interactive map on our website by county that lists every grant GOCAP makes," Lennig said, noting the office’s aim to administer funds "fairly, equitably, and in accordance with the governor's public safety priorities."

Advocates from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault and local crisis centers told the committee that demand for services has risen while federal grants have been unpredictable and that state funding restores capacity. Lisa Jordan of MCASA said federal delays and shifting priorities have made the state's $1 million legislative allocation ‘‘hugely important’’ in recent years and asked lawmakers to protect that funding; Stephanie Powers of the Care Healing Center described a recent case of a 14‑year‑old survivor for whom sustained local services were essential.

Miller also highlighted a sharp increase in claims paid by the CICB in recent years and the expected effect of chapter 705 of 2024, which expanded eligible crimes and increased maximum awards. She recommended that GOCAP comment on workload at CICB and on whether it can meet statutory timelines. Lennig said the office is working to enter historic assault kits into the Track It database and that March 31 is the statutory deadline for reporting kit locations, but she cautioned the committee that the agency depends on local law‑enforcement partners to enter and analyze kits.

DLS recommended that the budget committees consider language restricting a portion of funds pending an annual CICB report and that GOCAP explain the discontinuation of several MFR measures. Testimony from victim‑service providers stressed the immediate human impact of any funding reductions and urged the committee to restore the removed legislative allocation and to monitor kit‑testing and survivor notification plans.

The subcommittee did not take a vote on budget language; DLS and GOCAP were asked to provide follow‑up details on award‑notification targets, CICB workload since the FY26 start, and the agency’s plan for making kit‑tracking data publicly accessible.