Bipartisan Bill Seeks To Address Nationwide Rape Kit Backlog

A pair of congressional representatives from rival parties on Wednesday announced the introduction of a bill that would increase accountability and transparency on rape kits that have been piling up in police storage across the country.

Dubbed the Rape Kit Backlog Act and sponsored by Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., the bill would force law enforcement agencies to create inventories of the rape kits in their possession and create new reporting mechanisms to assess whether the genetic material in the kits has been added to the national DNA database.

“What we want to do is compel state and local law enforcement to take inventories of the rape kits they have on their shelves,” Mace said at a press conference Wednesday in front of the U.S. Capitol. “We’re going to process these rape kits and get this backlog under control and gets states to be held accountable.”

The bill introduced Tuesday aims to improve reporting requirements for state and local governments. It wound not provide new funds to the states, but rather makes the use of Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds — which are the primary source of federal money for state and local justice systems — conditional on compliance with the reporting requirements outlined in the bill.

The bill would also require the U.S. Department of Justice to post the results of backlog reporting on a publicly available website to allow for public accountability.

There are currently more than 100,000 untested sexual assault kits in the United States, according to an estimate cited by lawmakers in the bill’s text…

According to a press release shared by Mace’s office, the legislation will also help end the “interstate serial rapist problem.” Serial rapists are incentivized to commit new crimes in states with backlogs, the release says…

The bill is also supported by anti-sexual assault organizations including the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the Joyful Heart Foundation and Protect All Children from Trafficking, as well as think tanks R Street Institute and Americans for Prosperity.