Committee backs bill to let qualified nonprofits fund advanced DNA testing in cold cases

The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee on April 8 approved a bill to create a statutory process allowing qualified nonprofit entities to fund advanced DNA testing in cold cases and to partner with law enforcement on testing and eligibility.

Representative Hamilton explained the bill creates definitions for cold cases (open more than five years with no pending charges), eligible requesters (including family members) and qualified entities (nonprofits in operation at least five years that agree to cover testing and expert costs). The sponsor said the approach is intended to help families when traditional funding or staffing constraints stall investigations.

Pam Francis, whose sister Carmen Hope Van Huss was murdered in 1993, described how a private nonprofit paid for advanced testing in her sister's case, leading to an arrest in August 2024. Francis told the committee families should not have to rely on luck or strangers to seek justice and urged passage.

Support came from victim‑advocacy groups and prosecutors. Committee members voted to move the bill forward as amended; the clerk recorded the tally as 11–0 "for now," and the chair said the vote would be held open to permit absent members to return and cast ballots.

What happens next: The bill will be drafted into a committee report and, subject to final committee vote tally and House scheduling, move toward House floor consideration.

Attribution: Testimony quoted is from the hearing record, including Representative Hamilton and Pam Francis.