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Senate advances bill to set fees for digital-evidence processing to reduce backlog
Summary
Senate Bill 19, which would establish a fee schedule for jurisdictions using the RCCFL digital-forensics facility, was advanced for third reading after the sponsor said fees aim to reduce a months-long device-processing backlog and improve timely access to evidence.
Senate Bill 19, which would authorize a fee schedule for jurisdictions that use the state's digital-forensics facility, was advanced for third reading after a floor presentation by the sponsor, Senator Weiler.
Weiler described conversations with defense attorneys and law enforcement that revealed significant delays at the federal RCCFL facility that analyzes seized devices. He said the bill's modest fee structure is intended to reduce the backlog and ensure investigators and defendants get devices returned sooner. "Justice delayed is justice denied," Weiler said, arguing that small, tiered fees would encourage jurisdictions to contribute to capacity rather than freeload.
The sponsor acknowledged some stakeholder conversations were ongoing and moved to have the bill read for a third time to continue work with stakeholders. The Senate voted to read SB 19 a third time; the record shows 26 yeas, 1 nay, and 2 absent on the motion to read third.
The transcript records the policy rationale and the procedural advancement; the bill's final passage and any fee amounts or implementation details were not enacted on the floor during the recorded segments and remain subject to amendment and further stakeholder input.
