Texas is a good example of a state that is proactively looking for ways to eliminate their “sexual assault DNA kit” backlog.
In 2013, the Department of Public Safety reported 20,000 untested rape kits. Lawmakers quickly acted to provide $11 million to address the issue.
Still, more than 3,500 of those identified kits remain untested — meaning they haven’t been analyzed in more than five years.
So, a new bill HB 1729, would give those applying or renewing their driver’s license an option of donating $1 or more to help with the backlog.
There’s a cause I’d like to support!
This is the type of outside the box thinking we need to help with and put an end to the backlog forever.
Join us on the front lines. Help us defend victims of sexual assault at both the national and state level. Visit www.CapitolHillBrief.org today. If you’d like to hear these commentaries on the radio, find me on your local radio station.