{"format":1,"id":"118-s-3706","congress":118,"number":"S. 3706","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Victims' VOICES Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed Senate","official_title":"A bill to amend section 3663A of title 18, United States Code, to clarify that restitution includes necessary and reasonable expenses incurred by a person who has assumed the victim's rights.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"A bill to amend section 3663A of title 18, United States Code, to clarify that restitution includes necessary and reasonable expenses incurred by a person who has assumed the victim's rights."},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Victims' VOICES Act"},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"Victims' VOICES Act"},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"Victims' Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Victims' VOICES Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Victims' Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed Senate","title":"Victims' VOICES Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed Senate","title":"Victims' Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness Act"}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 118-77","introduced":"2024-01-31","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2024-07-23","vote":{"id":"118-2024-h361","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass","title":"Victims’ VOICES Act","result":"Passed","yea":408,"nay":2,"present":0,"not_voting":21,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll361.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2024-02-29","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent."}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2024-07-30"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 118-77.","date":"2024-07-30"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2024-07-30","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Victims' Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness Act or the Victims' VOICES Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This act makes a person who has assumed a victim's rights eligible to receive restitution for certain expenses from a convicted defendant. The act applies to a person (i.e., legal guardian, representative of the victim's estate, another family member, or any other person appointed as suitable by the court) who has assumed the rights of a victim because such victim is under 18 years of age, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased."},{"k":"p","t":"Under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996, federal courts must order defendants who are convicted of certain crimes to pay restitution to their victims. This restitution must include the costs to reimburse the victim for lost income and necessary child care, transportation, and other expenses incurred while participating in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attending proceedings relating to the offense, as well as medical and nonmedical care and treatment, and other associated costs."},{"k":"p","t":"This act specifies that, in ordering restitution, a court must order the defendant to pay restitution to a person who has assumed the victim's rights. In particular, the defendant must pay restitution to reimburse the person's necessary and reasonable costs for (1) lost income, child care, transportation, and other expenses associated with participating in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attending proceedings relating to the offense; and (2) lost income, transportation, and other expenses associated with transporting a victim to receive medical and nonmedical care and treatment (including physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation)."}],"words":257},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the federal restitution law in section 3663A of title 18, United States Code, to require courts to order defendants to reimburse a person who has assumed a victim's rights for that person's necessary and reasonable listed expenses.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}]},"core_areas":["Restitution to persons who have assumed a victim's rights under federal law"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Adds a new paragraph (4), titled \"Clarification,\" to section 3663A(a) of title 18, United States Code.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}},{"text":"Requires a court, when ordering restitution under section 3663A, to order the defendant to make restitution to a person who has assumed the victim's rights under paragraph (2) of that section.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}},{"text":"Requires reimbursement of that person's necessary and reasonable lost income, child care, transportation, and other expenses incurred during and directly related to participation in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attendance at related proceedings.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}},{"text":"Requires reimbursement of that person's necessary and reasonable lost income, transportation, and other expenses directly related to transporting the victim for necessary medical and related professional services and devices relating to physical, psychiatric, and psychological care.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}},{"text":"Requires reimbursement of that person's necessary and reasonable lost income, transportation, and other expenses directly related to transporting the victim to receive necessary physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#idfea1e859973d4993b8720a021539e0f3:~:text=2.%20Restitution%20for%20expenses%20of%20persons%20who"}},{"text":"Provides that the Act may be cited as the \"Victims' Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness Act\" or the \"Victims' VOICES Act.\"","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr#id4886278ed1d74107a6abe6bdd8fdfa9b:~:text=1.%20Short%20title"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-09-30","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3706/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/118-s-3706.png","v":"001a520feead","alt":"Votes on Record. S. 3706, 118th Congress: Victims' VOICES Act. House: 408 Yea, 2 Nay. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 30 Jul 2024."}}