[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5375-S5376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Debbie Smith Act

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, for nearly 15 years, the Debbie Smith Act 
has been the driving force behind our progress to eliminate the 
Nation's rape kit backlog.
  Though exact numbers are difficult to estimate, experts believe there 
are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in the United States. 
Each one of them, of course, represents a different story--the story of 
a sexual assault victim. Also, as a result of DNA science, it holds the 
key to apprehending a violent criminal and stopping them from 
committing further assaults.
  Since the Debbie Smith Act was signed into law in 2004, more than $1 
billion has been invested in State and local crime labs for DNA 
testing. This program also supports training for law enforcement, 
correctional personnel, forensic nurses, and other professionals who 
work with victims of sexual assault. Though the primary goal of the 
program is to reduce the rape kit backlog and identify attackers, 
processing this DNA evidence can assist investigations into other 
nonviolent crimes as well.
  Once evidence is tested, it is uploaded into the FBI's DNA database, 
called CODIS. This is similar to the criminal fingerprint database but 
provides DNA evidence that can help identify and convict people who 
commit other crimes. So if it is collected as a result of a sexual 
assault, you may, in fact, be able to get a hit that will help you 
identify someone who has committed a burglary, a murder, a robbery, or 
some other crime. This is particularly true when somebody commits a 
crime in one State and moves to another State--to be able to connect 
the identity of the person based on their DNA, not based on where the 
offense was committed. According to the National Institute of Justice, 
42 percent of hits in the FBI's DNA database system are the direct 
result of Debbie Smith Act funding--42 percent.
  In addition to helping us get more criminals off the streets, this 
information could also be the key to exonerating individuals who were 
wrongly

[[Page S5376]]

accused and preventing innocent people from being put behind bars for a 
crime they didn't commit. DNA evidence is very, very powerful.
  States have seen the positive results of this program at the national 
level and have been following suit. Texas has led the Nation in passing 
mandatory rape kit testing laws, conducting audits of the backlog, and 
using Debbie Smith funds to analyze untested sexual assault evidence.
  Since 2011, the Debbie Smith Act has helped Texas reduce its backlog 
of previously unsubmitted rape kits by approximately 90 percent--from 
over 20,000 kits to now around 2,000. This program has allowed us to 
provide victims of sexual assault with the resources they need and the 
answers they deserve while more effectively identifying criminals 
across the board.
  The benefits of this law simply cannot be overstated, and that is why 
the Debbie Smith Act was readily reauthorized in 2008 and 2014. Now it 
is time to once again reauthorize this important legislation.
  Earlier this year, Senator Feinstein, the senior Senator from 
California, and I introduced the Debbie Smith Act of 2019, which will 
extend this program through 2024. As you might expect, with this kind 
of nonpartisan legislation, it sailed through the Senate earlier this 
year. In fact, it passed the Senate in May with not one person voting 
against it. But here we are, nearly 4 months later, and the House of 
Representatives has not scheduled a vote. If they don't take action 
before September 30, the law will expire--something I hope we all can 
agree would be unconscionable and certainly completely unnecessary.
  The benefits of this program transcend politics or party, and 
allowing it to expire would be a disservice to the victims and 
advocates who have championed this bill for the last 15 years, 
particularly Debbie Smith herself.
  It is time for the House to vote to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act 
so that we can get it to the President's desk without further delay.
  One of the strongest advocates for the reauthorization of the Debbie 
Smith Act is the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, also known as 
RAINN. It is the Nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, 
and in its 25-year history, it has helped 3 million survivors and their 
loved ones.
  Last week, RAINN held a press conference announcing the delivery of 
more than 32,000 signatures urging the immediate passage of this 
legislation by the House of Representatives. Debbie Smith also spoke at 
the press conference.
  Just to remind colleagues, Debbie is, of course, a remarkable woman 
whose advocacy was born from a terrible personal experience. We have 
had the benefit of hearing from Debbie over the years many times in the 
Judiciary Committee.
  I believe there is no one--no one--who has done more to support 
victims of sexual assault than Debbie, and I am continually grateful to 
her for her courage and her candor as she travels around the country 
advocating for survivors. It can't be easy to talk about your own 
personal sexual assault and how you tried to grapple with the fact that 
your rape kit has not been tested and, thus, you don't even know who 
your attacker was and whether he may show up at some future date and 
try to repeat his crime.
  During the press conference, Debbie spoke about the years of fear she 
dealt with while waiting for her attacker to be identified. She said: 
``The years I spent waiting for justice can never be returned to me.''
  That is a heartbreaking reality for survivors of sexual violence and 
a reminder of why it is so critical to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act 
without further delay.
  While we can't turn back the hands of time and somehow change 
history, we can act now to provide victims with the support, the 
answers, and the closure they need.
  I urge Speaker Pelosi to bring the Debbie Smith Act of 2019 to the 
floor for a vote immediately in the House to demonstrate Congress's 
ongoing commitment to support victims of sexual violence.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.