A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers has introduced legislation that would establish a statewide tracking system for sexual assault evidence.
State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Luzerne, House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia/Delaware, and state Sen. Katie Muth, D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks, are working together to push the proposal forward.
The legislation would create an Advisory Committee to develop and implement best practices in creating and maintaining a tracking system which would give sexual assault victims the ability to track the status of their evidence and find out who to contact for more information.
“If we are serious about empowering victims and increasing transparency, we need to establish a tracking system that gives victims timely access to their evidence and updates on their cases,” Muth said in a news release.
Implementing a tracking system would help to prevent a backlog of untested rape kits and provide a comprehensive analysis of total rape kits in the state and how many are in possession at hospitals, law enforcement locations, and at state labs.
This article was originally posted on Pennsylvania lawmakers introduce legislation for sexual assault evidence tracking system