(WBAP/KLIF) – U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Ted Poe announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation, Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act, passed the Senate. The legislation would reauthorize, strengthen, and extend the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting program to help fight the nationwide rape kit backlog.
“This bill will empower law enforcement to identify and test more backlogged rape kits, help take criminals off the streets, and deliver justice for survivors,” Senator Cornyn said. “I applaud the Senate for coming together to get this legislation over the finish line, and I urge my colleagues in the House to advance it quickly.”
The SAFER Act also ensures pediatric forensic nurses are eligible for training, which addresses the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners in responding to children suffering from abuse.
“Across the country, there are shelves full of untested rape kits, denying victims justice,” said Representative Poe. “In 2015, the Department of Justice estimated there were as many as 400,000 untested rape kits in the United States. Previously, Congress acted to reduce the number of untested rape kits by allocating already existing funding and resources to states and localities to audit their rape kit backlog. This important legislation is now up for reauthorization. I applaud the Senate’s quick action to protect victims of crime and get victims the justice they deserve.”
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