Assemblymember Skinner: Federal Funding to Combat Sexual Assault Could 'Deliver Justice to Survivors'

Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who introduced legislation to address the backlog of untested rape kits in California, released a statement today on President Obama’s plan to process more rape kits and improve sexual assault investigations in his FY 2015 budget. 

“It is great news that during Women’s History Month, President Obama announced funding for the testing of backlogged sexual assault kits sitting in police storage lockers and crime labs in California and across the nation. I urge Congress to take swift action and support the President’s proposal. By testing these rape kits, we can deliver justice to survivors of sexual assault – they deserve no less.” 

Announced by Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder, the President’s Budget provides $35 million for a new grant program to inventory and test rape kits, develop “cold case” units, and provide victim support. The program would also assist in developing evidence-tracking systems, law enforcement training and conducting research on outcomes in sexual assault cases, according to the White House.  

In January, Assemblymember Skinner introduced legislation, AB 1517, to encourage law enforcement to abide by timelines of no more than five days to submit the rape kit to the crime lab and 30 days for the lab to process the DNA evidence and submit any available DNA evidence to the Combined DNA Index System, a national database.

AB 1517 is sponsored by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Natasha’s Justice Project and California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA). AB 1517 currently awaits review by a policy committee.