STATEHOUSE (Feb. 27, 2018) — A bill authored by State Sen. Michael Crider (R-Greenfield) that would begin to address the backlog of untested rape kits in Indiana passed the House of Representatives today by a unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 264 would require the Indiana Statewide Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Council to submit a report to the Legislative Council by Dec. 1, 2018, regarding the feasibility of creating a kit-tracking and testing database, as well as sources of funding and the identity of the supervising agency that would create, operate, manage and maintain the database.
“I am pleased we are continuing the process of understanding why there is a backlog in the number of untested rape kits in our state,” Crider said. “Requiring this report is a good first step to take. Once we have this information, we will be better equipped to identify a long-term solution for this issue.”
During the 2017 legislative session, Crider authored Senate Resolution 55, which urged the Indiana State Police (ISP) to conduct an audit of all untested sexual assault examination kits in Indiana and report the findings and recommendations to the Legislative Council.
In December 2017, the ISP released their audit, finding a “net” of 2,560 untested kits in Indiana for which the reason the kits remained untested was not clear.
For more information on SB 264, click here.
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A high-resolution photo of Crider is available by clicking here.
