HOUSE BILL NO. 62 "An Act relating to sexual assault examination kits; establishing the sexual assault examination kit tracking system; and providing for an effective date." 9:16:38 AM JAMES COCKRELL, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, relayed that seven to eight years earlier, Alaska had faced serious challenges in responding to sexual assaults. With the support of the legislature, the state had made significant progress in how law enforcement, nurse practitioners, and the state's crime lab responded to sexual assaults and processed sexual assault kits. He shared that the backlog of sexual assault kits had been cleaned up and all current kits remained preserved at the state crime lab indefinitely. He explained that the intent of HB 62 was to ensure that the progress could not be undone by future administrations or commissioners. He remarked that Alaska had set a national standard and was ranked highly among other states. He noted that Alaska would be ahead of many other states if the bill were to pass. Commissioner Cockrell explained that victims of sexual assault typically lacked control in the aftermath of a sexual assault. The victims had little control during interviews with law enforcement or when undergoing examinations by health care providers. The bill would allow victims confidential access to track their sexual assault kits from collection to final processing, restoring a measure of control. He stated that the goal of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) was to ensure that victims became survivors. Commissioner Cockrell added that the bill been a priority for both the department and the administration. He noted that forensic scientists had begun to work in the crime lab to speed up processing timelines. He described the bill as critical to continuing the progress made over the past decade. 9:21:28 AM Representative Hannan thanked the commissioner for his passionate testimony. She asked for more information about the role of Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in supporting the prosecution of sexual abuse and neglect cases involving children. She asked if CACs had a role in tracking the sexual assault kit and assisting the child through the process. Commissioner Cockrell responded that if a sexual assault examination kit was collected, it would be entered into the system. He explained that either the advocacy center or a parent could follow the kit through the confidential software system. He noted that each kit carried a barcode that was scanned at each stage of the process. He stated that the department's intent was to ensure child victims received the necessary support to live productive lives. Representative Hannan noted that the Juneau Police Department had stressed the importance of CACs in the successful prosecution of child sex crimes. She asked if the commissioner could provide additional information. Commissioner Cockrell responded that CACs were critical because the centers provided essential evidence to take to court. He stated that the centers effectively served as an arm of law enforcement, since the cases ultimately returned to law enforcement for investigation. He emphasized that the multidisciplinary approach helped protect children, which was the primary goal. He explained that the aim was to ensure that children did not remain victims for the rest of their lives but instead had the opportunity to heal and move forward. 9:24:21 AM DAVID KANARIS, CHIEF, FORENSIC LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, introduced the PowerPoint presentation "House Bill (HB) 62: Sexual Assault Examination Kit Tracking System" dated May 7, 2025 (copy on file). He moved to slide 2 and explained that the bill sought to accomplish three main objectives: first, it would establish timelines for the transmittal and testing of the kits; second, it would codify the sexual assault kit tracking system; third, it would create provisions for survivor rights and transparency. Mr. Kanaris advanced to slide 3 and explained that under current law, there were no established timelines for medical providers to transfer sexual assault kits to law enforcement. He stated that HB 62 would require medical providers to notify law enforcement and turn over kits within 14 days. Law enforcement would then have 20 days, reduced from 30, to submit the kits to the crime lab. Once received, the lab's processing timeline would be reduced from 180 days to 120 days. Representative Galvin understood that biological DNA samples had a specific period of viability and asked whether the bill's proposed timelines accounted for the viability of samples. Mr. Kanaris responded that the most critical timeline was the period between the assault and the collection of samples from the victim. Once samples had been collected, the samples remained relatively stable, even at room temperature. He stated that the bill did not address the period before collection as it focused only on the handling and processing after collection. Representative Galvin asked if the bill would apply to child victims examined at CACs. She asked if the timeline of the kits for child victims would be the same as for adults. Mr. Kanaris confirmed that the timelines and provisions applied regardless of the age of the victim. 9:27:09 AM Mr. Kanaris continued on slide 4 and explained that the second major element of the bill concerned survivor rights and transparency. He stated that victims would be able to opt into the tracking system and monitor the progress of the kits through notifications or by logging in to the system online. He emphasized that the approach had been shaped by input from survivor and advocacy groups that stressed the importance of being able to engage with the criminal justice system on their own terms and at their own pace, without having to reengage directly with law enforcement. Mr. Kanaris continued to slide 5 and explained that the bill would codify the sexual assault kit tracking system. The system was already operating with strong support from the legislature and the administration, but there was no guarantee it would remain in place under future leadership. He asserted that codifying the system in statute would ensure its continuation. He stressed that the system was too important to fail. He explained that codification would also guarantee confidentiality of survivor data. The system did not contain personal identifying information and each kit was tracked only by barcode. The system ensured anonymity while allowing the kits to be monitored throughout the process. Mr. Kanaris advanced to slide 6 which included photos of long-term sexual assault kit storage at the state crime lab. He described the image as sobering, noting that there were approximately 14,000 kits that had been processed over time and would remain in permanent storage. He stated that the photos illustrated the magnitude of the issue. Co-Chair Foster asked whether the 14,000 kits represented the backlog that had previously existed. Mr. Kanaris responded that the number reflected total processed kits currently stored at the lab. He explained that between 2015 and 2018, DPS had used a federal grant to audit unsubmitted kits in its possession. The department had identified approximately 500 to 600 unsubmitted kits, all of which had since been tested. In 2017 to 2018, the legislature appropriated funding for other agencies statewide to audit and submit their inventories, which revealed approximately 2,500 additional untested kits. The additional kits had also since been tested. He explained that the crime lab currently received approximately 1,100 to 1,200 DNA requests per year and more than half of which involved sexual assault kits. While evidence from other cases was eventually returned to the investigating agencies for storage, sexual assault kits remained permanently at the crime lab because of past concerns about untested inventories. 9:31:10 AM BRODIE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE NEAL FOSTER, reviewed the fiscal impact note from DPS with OMB component 527 and control code xRnIN. He explained that the note reflected a request of $197,500 beginning in FY 26. The total included $123,000 for one program coordinator position. He noted that the department currently had two coordinators funded by a federal grant, but once the grant expired only one position would be needed for long-term program management. The fiscal note also requested $8,500 for five annual trips, one of which would be out of state. The services line totaled $65,000, consisting of $49,000 for InVita Healthcare Technology (IHT) software and $16,000 in core service costs for program implementation. He stated that commodities were listed at $1,000 for training materials and supplies. 9:33:27 AM SUSIE FRENZEL, DIRECTOR, VICTIM SERVICES AND FORENSIC SCIENCE DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, relayed that she had prepared the fiscal note. She explained that the department had conducted a thorough review of its civilian positions to determine if any other vacancies could be filled. She emphasized that no such positions were available, which created the need for the fiscal note. Representative Tomaszewski asked if IHT had been selected through a competitive process that led to the awarding of the contract. Ms. Frenzel confirmed that IHT had been selected through a competitive bid process. Commissioner Cockrell reiterated that the tracking system was vital in addressing sexual assaults across the state. He hoped that the committee understood the value of the bill and the department's desire to see it succeed. He stressed that significant progress had been made in recent years and he did not want to lose momentum. He recalled that similar legislation had nearly passed in the previous year under challenging fiscal circumstances. He stressed that sexual assault affected everyone. The legislation would provide survivors with control over the process within the criminal justice system, which was often misunderstood, particularly in rural areas. He explained that the bill would allow advocates to help survivors remain engaged in the justice process so that perpetrators could be held accountable. 9:36:21 AM AT EASE 9:37:21 AM RECONVENED Co-Chair Josephson commented that former State of Alaska Representative Geran Tarr had collaborated closely with Mr. Kanaris years earlier. He remarked that Representative Tarr's work was relentless, and she had played an important role in crafting the legislation and moving it forward. 9:38:02 AM AT EASE 9:46:19 AM RECONVENED Co-Chair Foster relayed that there was interest in moving the bill forward. He noted that it had been working its way through the process and there had already been public testimony on it. Representative Allard appreciated the committee coming together on the bill. She thought it was important for the committee to take action on the bill to help Alaska's children and communities. Co-Chair Schrage MOVED to REPORT HB 62 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. HB 62 was REPORTED out of committee with ten "do pass" recommendations and with one previously published fiscal impact note: FN2 (DPS). [Representative Stapp was absent from the motion.] 9:48:22 AM