03/12/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        HB 275-SEXUAL ASSAULT EXAMINATION KITS/TRACKING                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:19:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL   NO.  275  "An   Act  relating  to   sexual  assault                                                               
examination  kits; establishing  the  sexual assault  examination                                                               
kit tracking system; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:20:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LISA PURINTON, Legislative Liaison,  Department of Public Safety,                                                               
presented  HB  275 on  behalf  of  the  sponsor, House  Rules  by                                                               
request  of  the governor.    She  explained  that HB  275  would                                                               
require the Department  of Public Safety (DPS) to  maintain a sex                                                               
assault examination kit  tracking system to allow  victims to log                                                               
in online  and track the location  of their sex assault  exam kit                                                               
at any  point in time  in the process  of the examination  by the                                                               
Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory ("Crime Lab").                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:22:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA  asked  if  there  is  anything  that  would                                                               
prohibit DPS from utilizing the  deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a                                                               
sexual assault victim for purposes outside of investigation.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. PURINTON  answered that  once the kit  is processed,  the DNA                                                               
information is entered  in the Combined DNA  Index System (CODIS)                                                               
for secure data storage, and it  is against the rules of CODIS to                                                               
enroll the DNA in any sort of database beside CODIS.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:24:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE   announced  he  would   offer  neither                                                               
Amendment 1 nor Amendment 2 [both in the committee packet].                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:24:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  moved to adopt  Amendment 3 to  HB 275,                                                               
labeled  33-GH2317\A.3,  C.  Radford,   2/22/24,  which  read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 3:                                                                                                            
          Delete "30"                                                                                                           
     Insert "20 [30]"                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  explained Amendment 3, saying  it would                                                               
allow  statutes   to  continue  the  downward   pressure  on  the                                                               
turnaround time for a sexual examination kit.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:26:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked Ms. Purinton  how the Crime Lab would prioritize                                                               
certain examination kits over others.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:27:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  PURINTON explained  that  she  doesn't know  if  there is  a                                                               
priority on how  examination kits are handled and  said she would                                                               
follow up with information later.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:28:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  removed  his  objection.   There  being  no  further                                                               
objection, Amendment 3 to HB 275 was adopted.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:29:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  moved to adopt  Amendment 4 to  HB 275,                                                               
labeled  33-GH2317\A.4,  C.  Radford,   2/22/24,  which  read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 20:                                                                                                           
          Delete "six months"                                                                                               
     Insert "120 days"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE   explained  that  Amendment   4  would                                                               
decrease the timeframe from 6 months to 120 days or 4 months.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked Representative Ruffridge if  he had                                                               
confidence that 120 days would be achievable.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE offered  his understanding from previous                                                               
public testimony that  the timeframe of 90 days is  far too short                                                               
and 6  months is too long,  so 120 days  was chosen as a  good in                                                               
between.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  removed  his  objection.   There  being  no  further                                                               
objection, Amendment 4 to HB 275 was adopted.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:32:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced that HB 275, [as amended], was held over.