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Utah Senate advances bill to regulate investigative genetic genealogy amid privacy concerns
Summary
Senators advanced Second Substitute Senate Bill 156, which sets limits and reporting requirements for law‑enforcement use of investigative genetic genealogy. Sponsors framed the bill as balancing tools to solve violent crimes with privacy protections; critics urged clearer limits on who can access databases and which databases may be searched.
Second Substitute Senate Bill 156, presented on the Utah Senate floor Feb. 14, would establish definitions, procedures, and reporting requirements for law-enforcement use of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) and related databases. Sponsor Senator Wyler said the bill aims to balance public-safety gains from DNA-based investigations with protections for privacy and familial sharing of genetic data.
"This bill defines and modifies terms when DNA is used in criminal investigations," the sponsor said, describing requirements for agencies that request a genetic-genealogy search and obligations for post‑conviction relief tied to genealogy databases. He said the measure also directs the state’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Commission (CCJJ) to…
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