LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is warning that a state program that grants money to crime victims for funeral expenses, medical care and other needs faces a "significant" budget shortfall.
McDaniel on Tuesday said state and federal funding levels won't be enough to pay claims awarded through the Crime Victims Reparations Program, possibly as early as February. McDaniel says he will notify expected recipients that funding for their claims may be delayed indefinitely as a result of the shortfall.
McDaniel says the program needs at least an additional $2 million to function uninterrupted.
McDaniel, who is leaving office in January due to term limits, says incoming Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson will need to immediately work with the Legislature to decide the future of the program.