The Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday passed important legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that will require law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories to promptly analyze all newly collected rape kit evidence in California.
Following federal best practices, SB 1449 ensures that sexual assault victims in California will have equal access to the swift submission and analysis of forensic evidence associated with their cases. Under the requirements of the proposal, newly collected rape kits must be submitted within 20 days and tested no later than 120 days after receipt. Promptly testing DNA evidence in rape kits will prevent the development of backlogs of forensic evidence in evidence rooms or laboratories and can identify an unknown assailant, link crimes together, identify serial perpetrators, and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.