Congressional Quarterly (paid subscription only) is reporting that the Victims' Rights Amendment is dead--the proponents have abandoned their attempt to pass a constitutional amendment and instead will try to pass a law applicable to victims rights in federal cases.

Supporters of a long-stalled constitutional amendment that would guarantee
rights for crime victims are at least temporarily conceding defeat and planning to back alternative language that would spell out such rights in a statute. New legislation (S 2329) agreed upon late Wednesday by constitutional amendment sponsors Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and others, is scheduled for Senate floor debate and passage on Thursday.

Final details of the bill were not available, but Democratic Senate aides
said Wednesday that the compromise would likely include language that would
give victims or their representatives the right to be heard at public release, plea sentencing and other proceedings and would require judicial officials to take victims' safety into account when deciding the fate of defendants. The compromise is also expected to authorize federal grants for crime victims.

A law is a lot easier to change or repeal than a constitutional amendment. Wise choice. We hear there are some problematic provisions in the planned law, but we'll save that for another day. Right now we're just thrilled that the VRA is dead.

Update: The AP reports:

Feinstein and Kyl had to sacrifice a proposed victims' rights constitutional amendment to get the bill through the Senate. A constitutional amendment would have required all states to follow the federal government's wishes. The bill passed by the Senate would only apply to federal crimes and federal courts.