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Senate advances DNA database bill to third reading, citing investigative benefits
Summary
SB 160 would create a DNA database of convicted individuals for future comparison in investigations; the Senate passed the bill to the third-reading calendar after sponsors noted 22 states had similar systems and prosecutors supported the proposal.
Senator Lyle Hilliard presented SB 160 as a law-enforcement investigative tool that would authorize collecting a DNA sample once a person is convicted of listed offenses and establishing a DNA profile for future comparisons. "About 22 states now have this," Hilliard said, urging funding and noting the bill carried a fiscal note.
Prosecutors, Hilliard said, regard the database as a high priority for investigating crimes where biological evidence may be present. The sponsor told the Senate he would prefer state funding for the database but would also seek to include it in the governor's crime package if necessary.
After brief questions and a roll-call vote, the Senate reported SB 160 passed to the third-reading calendar with 26 ayes and no nays on the floor record. The Senate transcript contains no further technical details about storage, retention, or privacy safeguards; those provisions will be in the bill text and committee-reported amendments.
Supporters characterized the measure as bringing Utah in line with other states' investigative tools; critics and questioners asked about funding, federal coordination, and civil-liberty safeguards, but the floor discussion in this transcript focused on the bill's investigative value rather than those specifics.
