[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT FORENSIC EVIDENCE REGISTRY (SAFER) 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 10, 2010

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, today, I am proud to introduce this 
important bipartisan legislation, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence 
Registry (SAFER) Act, with my colleagues, Representatives Poe, 
Richardson, and Cohen.
  I have been working on the issue of DNA technology since 2001 when I, 
along with former Representative Steve Horn, held a hearing in the 
Government Reform Committee where we heard from a courageous rape 
survivor, Debbie Smith. It was for Debbie, and the thousands of rape 
survivors like her, that I authored ``The Debbie Smith Act'' to provide 
federal funding to process the unconscionable backlog of DNA evidence. 
This legislation passed as part of the Justice for All Act of 2004, 
authorizing the necessary funding to start processing the backlog 
through the creation of the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program.
  Since 2004, millions of dollars in funding have been appropriated 
under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program. Efforts to eliminate 
the national backlog of rape evidence samples that have not been tested 
for DNA have been slowed or stymied by the lack of solid data on the 
extent and nature of the remaining backlog. While there is extensive 
evidence that we are making progress towards eliminating the backlog, 
policy makers lack a reliable estimate of the number of kits awaiting 
testing, or even how many kits remain at each stage of the process (in 
police custody, at labs awaiting processing, etc.).
  This legislation addresses these issues by creating an incentive 
grant program to provide funding to cover the upfront costs of auditing 
state and local jurisdictions backlogs of DNA rape evidence samples. 
The bill would also direct the Justice Department to create the 
National Rape Kit Registry, a simple database that will track the 
status of every rape evidence kit waiting to be processed.
  As Congress considers legislation to amend the Debbie Smith Act or 
make other changes to DNA testing policy, it is crucial that we first 
gather reliable, comprehensive backlog data. DNA evidence does not 
forget and it cannot be intimidated. By processing this evidence, we 
can prevent rapists from attacking more innocent victims and ensure 
that the survivors and their families receive justice.

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