Senate passes bill to address rape kit backlog

The Senate passed a bill Thursday aimed at addressing the backlog of rape kits.

{mosads}H.R. 4323, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act had broad bipartisan support. The Senate passed the measure through a unanimous consent agreement.

The bill would reauthorize funding for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program through fiscal 2019.

“The Senate did the right thing today by passing the Debbie Smith Act, which will help speed up the testing of rape kits to solve crime, provide relief to the victims of sexual assault and help ensure that more perpetrators of these terrible crimes are brought to justice,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.

The House passed the same bill by voice vote in April, so it now heads to President Obama’s desk for his signature before becoming law.