House approves funding for backlog of sexual‑assault evidence kits with added reporting and dashboard requirements

The Colorado House on Feb. 12 approved Senate Bill 105, a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Public Safety, and adopted an amendment that extends spending authority while imposing reporting and transparency requirements aimed at reducing the backlog of sexual‑assault evidence kits at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The amendment, J003, adopted as part of the Appropriations Committee report, grants roll‑forward authority so the department can retain previously appropriated funds to contract with third‑party labs, and requires monthly reports to the General Assembly and a public facing dashboard showing backlog counts and turnaround times.

The amendment was moved on the floor by Representative Wilford and supported in debate by members of the Appropriations Committee and advocates. Representative Wilford described her personal experience as a survivor whose case remains in the backlog, saying, “I have frozen and stand still in grocery store aisles because I saw someone that looked like him.” She said the amendment “allows roll forward authority … because it ensures that they have the money to be able to contract with a third party to get these cases out and get victims and survivors answers.”

Joint Budget Committee members and other lawmakers emphasized the need for both funding and accountability. Representative Byrd, sponsor of the supplemental package on the floor, told members the backlog exceeds 500 days and urged action, saying the appropriations process must include “guardrails” so funds are tied to deliverables. Representative Sirota and Representative Garcia, speaking in support of the amendment, said the monthly reporting and other requirements are necessary to ensure the money is spent to reduce the backlog and to give survivors timely information.

Floor debate included discussion of prior appropriations and investigations into lab practices. Lawmakers said earlier funding intended to reduce the backlog had not produced the expected improvement and that the department had provided a plan that projected two years to reduce the backlog to a 100‑day turnaround — a timetable several members and advocates said was too slow. The adopted amendment preserves the funding for contracting and adds explicit transparency and performance reporting requirements intended to accelerate processing and permit legislative oversight.

The House adopted the Appropriations Committee report as amended and passed Senate Bill 105 as amended. The bill’s text and the committee report, as described on the floor, direct spending authority for DNA testing and reimbursement to accelerate testing of sexual‑assault kits through third‑party contracts, and add grants to local governments through the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant program.

Representatives urged further legislative and oversight work after passage. Lawmakers said the amendment does not remove civil or criminal accountability options or preclude future statutory fixes; rather, they described it as an immediate step to get kits processed while the legislature continues to seek longer‑term reforms.

Votes and next steps: the chamber adopted amendment J003 by voice vote and then approved the Appropriations Committee report as amended; the ledger entry on the floor shows Senate Bill 105 as passed "as amended." Representative Wilford and the Appropriations Committee framed the adopted requirements as a one‑year (through next June) cadence for reporting every 30 days, plus a public dashboard and deliverables to be tracked by the General Assembly.

Ending: Lawmakers said they will continue oversight work in committee and with JBC staff to monitor CBI’s progress and may pursue additional statutory changes to shorten allowable processing time and add enforcement tools.