03/13/2017 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 31                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  requiring the Department  of Public  Safety to                                                                    
     develop   a   tracking   system  and   collection   and                                                                    
     processing  protocol  for  sexual  assault  examination                                                                    
     kits;  requiring  law   enforcement  agencies  to  send                                                                    
     sexual assault  examination kits for testing  within 18                                                                    
     months  after collection;  requiring  an inventory  and                                                                    
     reports  on untested  sexual assault  examination kits;                                                                    
     and providing for an effective date."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:33:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson MOVED to  ADOPT the proposed committee                                                                    
substitute  for  HB  31,  Work  Draft  30-LS0271\J  (Martin,                                                                    
2/28/17). There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GERAN TARR,  SPONSOR,  introduced the  bill.                                                                    
She identified  that a problem related  to addressing sexual                                                                    
assault  in  the  state  was  the  untested  sexual  assault                                                                    
examination  kits.   She  explained   that  the   kits  were                                                                    
typically associated  with the individual crime  at the time                                                                    
of   collection.  However,   perpetrators   can  be   serial                                                                    
assaulters and can be involved  in multiple cases. The issue                                                                    
had prompted  multiple jurisdictions  across the  country to                                                                    
test untested  kits and assess  the serial  assault problem.                                                                    
She related the story of a  rapist in 2014 and reported that                                                                    
if the  DNA was tested at  the time against other  kits, the                                                                    
assailant  would have  been discovered  as a  serial rapist.                                                                    
She felt  that the  legislation would further  safeguard the                                                                    
public's safety.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
HB  31  was   HEARD  and  HELD  in   committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Seaton addressed  the  meeting  for the  following                                                                    
day.