Throughout the country thousands of rape kits sit untested, putting many survivors of sexual assault in an uphill battle for justice. In June, a bill that would establish a statewide electronic tracking system for rape kits passed the New York State Legislature but still awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
Currently, 33 states and Washington, D.C., have either implemented or are in the process of implementing sexual assault kit tracking systems.
The New York legislation, which was sponsored by Progressive state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, would require the system to track the location and status of each evidence collection kit through the criminal justice process, including the initial collection of evidence for the kit performed at a health care facility, receipt and storage of the evidence collection kit at a law enforcement agency, and receipt and analysis of the evidence.
