Apr 15, 2015 1 min read

State House unanimously approved legislation Wednesday sponsored by state Rep. Brandon Neuman that would speed up testing of DNA evidence stemming from sexual assault.

Neuman, D-North Strabane Township, said the legislation – the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry in Pennsylvania – would codify precise policies and procedures dealing with the collection and testing of sexual assault evidence.

“Experts estimate that there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of sexual assault kits nationwide that have been submitted to a laboratory for testing,” Neuman said in a press release. “The problem is compounded by the fact that most states don’t track and count untested kits.”

The SAFER PA Act would also require the state Department of Health to designate laboratories approved to receive and test sexual assault evidence; require local authorities to submit evidence within 15 days to an approved laboratory, which must complete the testing in six months; mandate reports on testing backlogs and permit authorities to upload testing results into databases and require notification to victims or families when DNA testing has been completed.

SAFER PA Act now heads to the state Senate for consideration.