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Subcommittee reviews bill to send child identification kits to kindergartners; costs, procurement debated
Summary
House Bill 3,873 would shift in‑home child identification kits from "on request" to automatic distribution to every kindergartner; the Office of the Attorney General would provide kits and the Department of Education would provide counts. Witnesses said kits cost about $1.81 each and estimated annual costs at roughly $100,000–$120,000; members raised privacy and procurement concerns and no final vote was recorded.
COLUMBIA — House Bill 3,873, which would provide an in‑home fingerprint/DNA identification kit to every kindergartner instead of making kits available only upon parental request, was presented to the K‑12 subcommittee on Tuesday for discussion but not finalized.
A committee summary said the Office of the Attorney General would supply the kits and the Department of Education would provide student counts; the Department may not expend its regular funding for the program and the kits require a separate appropriation.
Heather Smith, representing the child identification program, told the committee the kits have been funded previously by the General Assembly and cost about $1.81 per kit. Using the Department's count of roughly 56,000 incoming kindergarten students, she estimated annual costs in the range of $100,000 to $120,000, noting the final total depends on exact enrollment.
Members raised privacy and implementation concerns: one lawmaker questioned whether mandating a kit for every student was appropriate when other DNA sources — lost baby teeth, hair from combs — already exist. Questions were also raised about procurement; Smith said the kits were procured through a state RFP process and multiple manufacturers have bid.
By the close of the transcript the committee had not recorded a final vote on H3,873; a member indicated intent to make a motion near the end of the hearing, but the record ends shortly afterward.
Next step: the bill remains under consideration and may return to the committee for a vote after members receive requested procurement and legal information.
