[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COVERDELL:
  S. 1196. A bill to improve the quality, timeliness, and credibility 
of forensic science services for criminal justice purposes; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.


             THE NATIONAL FORENSIC SCIENCE IMPROVEMENT ACT

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, today I introduce the National Forensic 
Science Improvement Act, a bill designed to address the growing backlog 
in our nation's crime labs. Across the country, state and local crime 
labs, Medical Examiners' and Coroners' offices face alarming shortages 
in forensic science resources. While other areas of our criminal 
justice system such as the courts and prison systems have benefitted 
from federal assistance, the highly technical and expensive forensic 
sciences have received little attention. Mr. President, my bill will 
help correct this problem.
  There are 600 qualified state and local crime laboratories in the 
United States which deliver 90% of the total forensic science services 
in this country. In a 1996 national survey of 299 crime labs it was 
found that 8 out of 10 labs have experienced a growth in the caseload 
which exceeds the growth in budget and/or staff. Mr. President, I need 
go no further to demonstrate that this is a national problem. Without 
the swift processing of evidence our criminal justice system cannot 
operate as it is intended. I believe it is time to take a step to 
address specifically the problems our crime labs face.
  The National Forensic Science Improvement Act has been endorsed by 
organizations such as the National Governors Association, the National 
Association of Attorneys General, the Association of State Criminal 
Investigative Agencies and the International Association of Chiefs of 
Police who see it as a flexible approach to a problem that indeed has 
far-ranging consequences. Mr. President, it is my belief that Congress 
must work to ensure justice in this country is neither delayed nor 
denied. Right now across the country backlogs in crime labs are denying 
the swift administration of justice and with this bill we have a ready 
solution.
  In crafting this bill I have worked closely with the Georgia Bureau 
of Investigation which is suffering heavily under a growing caseload. 
At its headquarters in Decatur, GA the GBI has a number of cataloging 
systems that are not yet computerized. Further, they lack the funding 
to create computer networks that would connect not only their forensic 
equipment with internal computers, but would also allow them to share 
information with crime labs across the country. While the Governor has 
taken steps to provide the GBI with more funding for forensic sciences, 
it remains clear that federal assistance is needed.
  Last year the Senate passed the Crime Identification Technology Act. 
This important measure, which I supported, was a good step towards 
improving the technology employed by law enforcement across the 
country. I believe my bill is the next logical step in this body's 
effort to improve the manner in which justice is administered in this 
country.
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