Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bill to Help Address National Rape Kit Backlog

WASHINGTON –Senator Maggie Hassan announced today that she cosponsored the bipartisan Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act to reauthorize, strengthen, and extend the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting program in an effort to help reduce the national rape kit backlog.

“Survivors of sexual assault face indescribable adversity in the aftermath of an assault, and any undue delay in delivering justice is completely unacceptable,” Senator Hassan said. “This bipartisan legislation is critically important to address the backlog of untested rape kits and ensure that essential evidence reaches the courtroom as quickly as possible. I’m proud to join my colleagues in championing this legislation and I will continue to fight for justice for survivors of sexual assault.”

In addition to reauthorizing this program, the legislation would ensure that pediatric forensic nurses are eligible for training, highlighting the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners in responding to children suffering from abuse. A one-page summary of the bill is available here.   

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) were the authors of the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting Act, a 2013 law creating the SAFER Program which has helped law enforcement reduce the rape kit backlog through existing funds under the Debbie Smith Act. The legislation increased the amount of these funds spent on untested kits by 35 percent and allowed 5-7 percent to be used on SAFER program audits. It helps state and local law enforcement agencies address both the laboratory and storage backlogs by providing funding to conduct one-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence, which has uncovered tens of thousands of untested rape kits on shelves and in labs across the nation. 

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