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Committee endorses fee plan to fund regional digital‑forensics capacity at RCFL
Summary
Sen. Weiler presented a proposal requiring participating cities/counties to either provide staffing at the FBI‑affiliated Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) or pay an annual fee to the Department of Public Safety to support backlog reduction. The committee gave a favorable recommendation after discussion and AG staff noted they had not-
Sen. Weiler presented a committee bill draft intended to reduce a backlog at the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) and to make participating jurisdictions share the cost of digital‑forensics capacity.
Weiler said a portion of the backlog stems from jurisdictions that send devices to the RCFL without contributing staff or funds; the draft creates three options for covered cities and counties: operate or contract with a digital forensics laboratory; be a participating agency that provides at least 2,000 staff hours per year to the RCFL; or pay an annual fee to the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Jackie Rogers summarized the fee matrix embedded in the draft, which scales by class of city or county and population band.
The bill tasks DPS with collecting fees, applying funds to support the RCFL, and reporting annually to the committee about unpaid fees and participation. In committee discussion, members asked whether added local labs or contractors would "taint" evidence and thereby reduce RCFL effectiveness; Weiler said the draft is designed so the RCFL remains the primary high‑capability resource and the fee is intended to be economical enough that smaller jurisdictions would not be incentivized to build expensive in‑house capacity.
Stuart Young of the Attorney General's Office said the AG had not fully analyzed the draft but appreciated the senator's prior engagement and tour of the lab. Senator Ipsen moved to favorably recommend the digital evidence amendments and the committee approved the motion unanimously.
Ending: The committee favorably recommended the draft; staff will continue to coordinate with DPS, the RCFL and the AG's office on technical language and implementation details.
