Rep. Joe Sanfelippo
Attorney General Josh Kaul is pressuring state Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) to move forward with a bill that would standardize the process for collecting sexual assault kits. He held a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday. “I have talked to a number of legislators about this, including 14 out of 15 members of the Assembly Health Committee. I have yet to hear from a single member of the legislature who opposes this legislation.”
The bill has bipartisan support in the Assembly and has already passed the Senate. No word on whether Sanfelippo has scheduled that hearing. “It’s critical that a hearing on this legislation be scheduled in the Assembly soon,” Kaul said.
The bill would create a standard procedure for collecting DNA evidence in sexual assault cases. Sexual assault victims would have the option of whether to send a kit to the state crime lab for DNA analysis. If they consent, kits would be required to be tested within 72 hours. If they decline, the kits would be stored for 10 years in case victims change their minds.