Auditor General DePasquale Applauds House Passage of Bill That Would Help Prevent Rape Kits from Becoming Backlogged
House Bill 1821 would enact several recommendations from DePasquale’s 2016 special report
Auditor General DePasquale Applauds House Passage of Bill That Would Help Prevent Rape Kits from Becoming Backlogged
House Bill 1821 would enact several recommendations from DePasquale’s 2016 special report
HARRISBURG (Dec. 13, 2017) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said he is pleased a House bill that will help ensure the timely testing of rape kits passed unanimously out of the House.
House Bill 1821 would clarify some of the language in Act 27 of 2015 — the Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act — and would enact specific steps to help prevent some kits from becoming backlogged.
“I applaud the work of Rep. Brandon Neuman, who authored House Bill 1821, for his staunch support for helping sexual assault victims find justice,” DePasquale said. “This bill not only cleans up ambiguous language in Act 27, it will require the state police to consult with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and local law enforcement to compile a report focused on resolving the backlog. Both of those changes are exactly what I recommended in my untested rape kits special report.”
DePasquale noted that this would be the second time recommendations in his 2016 report were being implemented. In June 2017, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association’s Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program began requiring local law-enforcement agencies to comply with Act 27 to qualify for accreditation.
“I urge the Senate to consider this bill as soon as possible and to pass it to help ensure the timely receipt and testing of all rape kits,” DePasquale said.
DePasquale’s 2016 special report found that thousands of untested rape kits exist in police departments and crime labs across the state. The auditor general’s Untested Rape Kits special report and related news is available online at: www.PaAuditor.gov.
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