[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 139 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 139

To implement the use of Rapid DNA instruments to inform decisions about 
   pretrial release or detention and their conditions, to solve and 
prevent violent crimes and other crimes, to exonerate the innocent, to 
         prevent DNA analysis backlogs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 12, 2017

 Mr. Hatch (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Gillibrand, 
Mr. Flake, and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following bill; which was 
       read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To implement the use of Rapid DNA instruments to inform decisions about 
   pretrial release or detention and their conditions, to solve and 
prevent violent crimes and other crimes, to exonerate the innocent, to 
         prevent DNA analysis backlogs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rapid DNA Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. RAPID DNA INSTRUMENTS.

    (a) Standards.--Section 210303(a) of the DNA Identification Act of 
1994 (42 U.S.C. 14131(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(5)(A) In addition to issuing standards as provided in 
        paragraphs (1) through (4), the Director of the Federal Bureau 
        of Investigation shall issue standards and procedures for the 
        use of Rapid DNA instruments and resulting DNA analyses.
            ``(B) In this Act, the term `Rapid DNA instruments' means 
        instrumentation that carries out a fully automated process to 
        derive a DNA analysis from a DNA sample.''.
    (b) Index.--Paragraph (2) of section 210304(b) of the DNA 
Identification Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14132(b)(2)) is amended to read 
as follows:
            ``(2) prepared by--
                    ``(A) laboratories that--
                            ``(i) have been accredited by a nonprofit 
                        professional association of persons actively 
                        involved in forensic science that is nationally 
                        recognized within the forensic science 
                        community; and
                            ``(ii) undergo external audits, not less 
                        than once every 2 years, that demonstrate 
                        compliance with standards established by the 
                        Director of the Federal Bureau of 
                        Investigation; or
                    ``(B) criminal justice agencies using Rapid DNA 
                instruments approved by the Director of the Federal 
                Bureau of Investigation in compliance with the 
                standards and procedures issued by the Director under 
                section 210303(a)(5); and''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO COLLECTION OF DNA 
              IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION.

    (a) From Certain Federal Offenders.--Section 3 of the DNA Analysis 
Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14135a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: 
        ``The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may waive 
        the requirements under this subsection if DNA samples are 
        analyzed by means of Rapid DNA instruments and the results are 
        included in CODIS.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) The term `Rapid DNA instruments' means 
        instrumentation that carries out a fully automated process to 
        derive a DNA analysis from a DNA sample.''.
    (b) From Certain District of Columbia Offenders.--Section 4 of the 
DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14135b) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: 
        ``The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may waive 
        the requirements under this subsection if DNA samples are 
        analyzed by means of Rapid DNA instruments and the results are 
        included in CODIS.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) The term `Rapid DNA instruments' means 
        instrumentation that carries out a fully automated process to 
        derive a DNA analysis from a DNA sample.''.
                                 <all>