Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced the signing of their legislation to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act, aimed at providing state and local law enforcement agencies with resources for forensic analyses of crime scenes and untested rape kits.

“Examining DNA evidence is a critical step in achieving justice for sexual assault survivors, but many law enforcement agencies don’t have the resources to work through the rape kit backlog in a timely manner,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation will empower law enforcement to solve these heinous crimes and give survivors the closure they deserve, and I’m glad to see it become law.”

“As a former prosecutor, I know firsthand that behind every unprocessed rape kit is a victim of sexual assault wondering if they will ever see justice,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “By reauthorizing the critical Debbie Smith Act, our legislation will provide law enforcement officers with additional resources to process untested rape kits and other DNA evidence, helping them bring more criminals to justice.”

The bill was initially introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who worked alongside Sen. Cornyn after leading efforts to reauthorize the act in 2019. The legislation has garnered support from Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Kennedy (R-LA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

In the House of Representatives, Ann Wagner (MO-02), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), and Ben Cline (VA-06) introduced the legislation which passed last year.

The Debbie Smith Act was first enacted in 2004 to help local and state crime laboratories address backlogs of untested DNA evidence from unsolved crimes, analyze DNA samples, and increase processing capacity to prevent future backlogs. Since its inception, over 860,000 DNA cases have been processed under this act.

Support for this legislation comes from various organizations including Debbie Smith herself, Fraternal Order of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National District Attorneys Association, Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations, Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), and Joyful Heart Foundation.