Ann Wagner
07/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/31/2024 08:32
Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s Rape Kit Testing Legislation Signed Into Law
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the House Suburban Caucus, released the following statement after the President signed her Debbie Smith Act into law. The Debbie Smith Act reauthorizes the DNA Backlog Elimination Program through 2029.
"Survivors of rape and sexual assault deserve justice, period. My Debbie Smith Act will provide significant support to law enforcement so they can eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits, identify perpetrators of rape and sexual assault, and put them in jail where they belong. We have a solemn and moral responsibility to support the survivors of sexual violence as they recover from these horrific crimes. I am proud to have their backs here in Congress and will continue to work with law enforcement and survivors to ensure they get the justice they deserve."
Background
H.R. 1105, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023, reauthorizes the DNA Backlog Elimination Program from FY2024 through FY2029. This program provides support to law enforcement and crime labs in all 50 states to analyze untested rape and sexual assault kits, improve law enforcement's timely collection of DNA evidence, and enhance prosecutors' capacity to bring this evidence to trial.
According to the Department of Justice, since it was first enacted in 2004, this program has directly supported the analysis of over 1.6 million DNA cases, resulting in more than 328,000 hits in the federal DNA criminal database-representing 47% of all DNA matches.