(From Second District Congresswoman Ann Wagner)Congresswoman Ann Wagner, Chair of both the House Suburban Caucus and Financial Services subcommittee on Capital Markets, along with Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) released the following statement after they introduced the bipartisan Debbie Smith Act.
Congresswoman Wagner’s Debbie Smith Act was signed into law in 2019, and this legislation would reauthorize this vital funding for rape kit testing for 5 years. This is the House companion to Senate legislation introduced Thursday by Senators Cornyn, Feinstein, Klobuchar, and Graham.
“Since 2020, rape cases throughout the United States have increased over 23%. This is absolutely unconscionable, and we must find justice for the survivors and bring accountability to their attackers. One of the most important methods to identify and prosecute sexual predators is through DNA analysis, and state and local law enforcement need the federal government’s support to efficiently analyze and process DNA evidence from sexual assault and rape kits,” said Wagner.
“I fought to get the Debbie Smith Act reauthorized and signed into law in 2019, and I am proud to carry this torch once again. My bipartisan legislation, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023, will provide law enforcement agencies and crime labs across the country with the resources they need to help improve DNA collection and analysis, eliminate the rape kit backlog, and enhance state and local prosecutors’ capacity to bring these cases to court.”
“There is a staggering backlog of unsolved criminal cases across the United States, including over 100,000 in Harris County, Texas,” said Hunt. “The Debbie Smith Act has already matched nearly 200,000 DNA cases since 2005, and with this reauthorization, Congress will be able to continue supporting our brave men and women in Law Enforcement and the victims of sexual assault and homicide. It is time to put an end to the backlog of untested and unanalyzed DNA evidence and hold perpetrators accountable. I am honored to co-lead this effort.”
“The Debbie Smith Act assures that law enforcement agencies will again have the resources they need to reduce the appalling rape kit backlog that has allowed too many violent criminals to evade justice,” said Cohen. “I appreciate all the survivors and advocates who have worked to address this criminal justice priority and I look forward to seeing victims of sexual assault receive justice.”
“As a former prosecutor, I know all too well how critical DNA evidence is to achieving justice for the victims of sexual assault and homicide,” said Cline. “I am proud to co-lead this effort to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act, which will ensure that our law enforcement agencies will once again have the support and resources they need to reduce unacceptable DNA backlogs and hold violent predators accountable for their crimes.”
“There is a staggering backlog of unsolved criminal cases across the United States, including over 100,000 in Harris County, Texas,” said Hunt. “The Debbie Smith Act has already matched nearly 200,000 DNA cases since 2005, and with this reauthorization, Congress will be able to continue supporting our brave men and women in Law Enforcement and the victims of sexual assault and homicide. It is time to put an end to the backlog of untested and unanalyzed DNA evidence and hold perpetrators accountable. I am honored to co-lead this effort.”
“The Debbie Smith Act assures that law enforcement agencies will again have the resources they need to reduce the appalling rape kit backlog that has allowed too many violent criminals to evade justice,” said Cohen. “I appreciate all the survivors and advocates who have worked to address this criminal justice priority and I look forward to seeing victims of sexual assault receive justice.”
“As a former prosecutor, I know all too well how critical DNA evidence is to achieving justice for the victims of sexual assault and homicide,” said Cline. “I am proud to co-lead this effort to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act, which will ensure that our law enforcement agencies will once again have the support and resources they need to reduce unacceptable DNA backlogs and hold violent predators accountable for their crimes.”
“As a passionate champion of a fair and effective criminal justice system, I'm honored to continue our efforts to improve the system with the introduction of the Debbie Smith Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize Debbie Smith block grants from FY24 through FY29 to provide critical funding to improve the collection and analysis of DNA evidence and eliminate the unacceptable backlog of rape kit processing in crime labs and law enforcement agencies across the country. Our continued investment in vital forensic resources will help ensure those responsible for sexual assault and rape are held accountable” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. “Although it is hard to undo what has been done, I am dedicated to ensuring that the criminal justice system works fairly and efficiently for everyone.”
“The Debbie Smith Act is absolutely critical to erasing the rape kit backlog that prevents so many people from finding justice and allows rapists to continue to offend,” said Erin Earp, Interim Vice President of Public Policy for RAINN. “We are grateful to Representatives Wagner, Cohen, Hunt, Jackson Lee, and Cline for championing this legislation that will make our communities safer.”
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