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Committee hears bill to fund testing and staff to clear sexual-assault kit backlog; survivor testimony urged action
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on House Bill 1413, which would create a sexual-assault-kit (SAK) backlog fund to pay for equipment, testing and staff wages. Supporters said the state currently has an estimated 600–800 kits awaiting testing; the committee took testimony and held the bill for further amendment and fiscal work.
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard House Bill 1413, which would create a sexual-assault-kit backlog fund to support laboratories and law-enforcement agencies in testing unprocessed kits.
Representative Cash, presenting the bill, said Indiana had a backlog of roughly 600–800 kits that are required by statute to be sent to the crime lab when a police report exists. The proposal would allow grants from the backlog fund to purchase equipment, pay for testing, hire additional staff and provide competitive wages to retain forensic technicians. The bill includes reporting requirements: the presenter described a status report due on Sept. 1, 2025, and said the bill requires completion of the laboratory backlog by Jan. 1, 2026.
Beth White, president and CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault, testified in support and yielded her time to Michelle Kuiper, who described her experience as a survivor whose case took decades to develop DNA leads. Kuiper recounted working later in the field to reduce backlogs and urged funding to enable rapid DNA testing and better lab staffing.
Committee members asked whether funds would be distributed to local agencies or routed through the Indiana State Police laboratories; Representative Cash said funds were intended to flow through the State Police to existing crime labs. Members also asked for more precise counts and timing; Cash said the bill’s supporters and state labs estimate a year-and-a-half timeline to clear the current backlog if labs receive adequate equipment and staffing. The committee decided to hear testimony but not vote on the bill at this meeting so staff and sponsors could work on language and fiscal placement.
