On September 12, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, legislation (S. 2513) designed to expedite and improve the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases. Prior to passing the measure, the Senate adopted, by unanimous consent, a substitute amendment that made technical changes to the committee-approved bill (see The Source, 7/19/02).
Sponsored by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act would require the Attorney General to conduct a nationwide survey of police department case files to assess the backlog of untested rape kits. The bill would authorize $500,000 for the survey.
S. 2513 would authorize $15 million in each of FY2003 through FY2007 to conduct DNA tests on convicted felons. Additionally, $75 million in each of FY2003 through FY2007 would be authorized for DNA analysis of formerly unprocessed evidence in rape cases and for DNA testing of crime scene evidence.
The bill would authorize $150 million over five years for the Sexual Assault Nurses Examiners program to train nurses on how to collect and handle DNA evidence and address the medical and emotional needs of sexual assault victims. A five-year program to train law enforcement officials and first responders in the collection and handling of DNA evidence in sexual assault cases would be authorized at $50 million over five years.
Additionally, $9.7 million would be authorized to update a national DNA database that would link state systems. The bill also would authorize federal indictments against any individual suspected of sexual offenses based on DNA evidence beyond the five-year statute of limitations.
