[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E706-E707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 13, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today, I am proud to reintroduce important 
bipartisan legislation, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry, 
SAFER, Act, with my colleagues, Representatives Poe, Moran, Costa, 
Grijalva, Richardson, Gwen Moore, Bartlett, Deutch, Aderholt, Rooney, 
and Wasserman Schultz.
  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 to reduce rape kit DNA 
backlogs nationwide by allocating existing program funds for incentives 
to local jurisdictions to audit rape kits awaiting processing, the 
hiring and/or training of staff to handle the backlog, and establishing 
a national database of every individual rape kit result. It also 
requires the Attorney General to report on best practices for testing 
and using DNA evidence in criminal investigations of sexual assault.
  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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