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State Rep. Adam hails new 'DNA exception' law to help sexual‑assault survivors
Summary
State Rep. Adam said the governor signed a FY27 budget provision creating a 'DNA exception' to Massachusetts' 15‑year statute of limitations for certain sexual‑assault cases, allowing prosecutions when preserved DNA is later matched to a suspect.
State Rep. Adam, the newly sworn representative for the 14th Bristol District, described how a provision creating a "DNA exception" to Massachusetts’ 15‑year statute of limitations for certain sexual‑assault cases was added to the FY27 state budget and signed by the governor.
"So this came to my radar in 2021 after I was sworn in as the new state rep for the 14th Bristol District," Adam said, explaining that a survivor identified as Caitlin in North Attleboro reached out and helped bring the issue forward. He said the change mirrors rules already adopted in about 35 other states.
Adam defined the policy change as allowing prosecutors to bring charges after the 15‑year limit when DNA evidence preserved from the original crime scene is later matched. "The issue is that 35 other states, but not Massachusetts at the time, had a rule in place called the DNA exception rule," he said. He told listeners that the bill had moved through several committees and was ultimately inserted into the FY27 budget language — a legislative path that ensures enactment once the budget is passed and signed.
As an example of why the change mattered, Adam cited two survivors from a 1989 Framingham clothing‑store attack tied to a Boston serial offender. He said DNA evidence existed from those crimes but lacked a match at the time; the commonwealth later identified a suspect through DNA, and charges were possible in that case only because the suspect had fled the state, which Adam said effectively paused the limitations clock. He contrasted that with another survivor he named as Louise, whose alleged assailant remained in Massachusetts and therefore could not be charged before this law.
Adam said the passage resulted from bipartisan cooperation in the House and Senate and the governor's support on budget language. He emphasized working with constituents and stakeholders over time to craft what he described as meaningful policy for survivors. The transcript did not specify an effective date for the provision beyond the governor’s signing.
