April 5, 2019
The Honorable Jerry Nadler
Chairman
House Committee on the Judiciary
United States House of Representatives
2132 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Karen Bass
Chairwoman
House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security
United States House of Representatives
2059 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Doug Collins
Ranking Member
House Committee on the Judiciary
United States House of Representatives
1504 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable John Ratcliffe
Ranking Member
House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, & Homeland Security
United States House of Representatives
223 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Nadler and Ranking Member Collins:
We, the undersigned groups and individuals representing the criminal justice and victim advocacy communities, respectfully urge Congress to support and pass H.R. 777, including the amended language contained in S.820, the “Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2019.”
As you know, since the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program was first authorized in 2004, it has provided states with desperately needed resources to carry out analyses of backlogged DNA evidence, particularly of untested sexual assault kits. In 2014, Congress showed its overwhelming bipartisan support for this initiative by passing the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act (P.L. 113-182), which extended this program through 2019. We ask for your continued support now for the bill’s reauthorization to 2024.
Forty two percent of all DNA matches made in the FBI’s national Combined DNA Index System, CODIS, are a direct result of funding from the Debbie Smith Act. 1 More than 192,000 matched profiles in CODIS were funded from the Debbie Smith Act grants.2 Crime laboratories have made tremendous progress towards increasing the amount of DNA samples that can be processed, but forensic DNA analysis has become a victim of its own success. Per the General Accounting Office’s recent March 2019 report, labs have seen their aggregated backlog requests increased from 91,000 to 1,689,000 between FY2011 and FY2017- an 85% increase in the demand for testing.3 As technology improves to identify smaller trace amounts of DNA at crime scenes, and as law enforcement agencies have learned the value of this evidentiary tool, state labs are now facing an increased influx of requests for DNA analysis and are processing DNA samples more than ever before. Additionally, recent state laws have been passed to prioritize sexual assault kit testing, requiring state labs to meet this increased demand.
Given the above reasons, it is imperative that Congress votes to reauthorize the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program through the passage of H.R. 777, with the amended language contained in S.820, which supports and empowers victims’ requests for answers and justice, and provides critical tools to law enforcement officials to identify and take sexual predators off America’s streets. We appreciate your leadership on behalf of victims of violent crime, and your commitment to ensuring the reauthorization of this landmark legislation.
Sincerely,
Scott Berkowitz
President
RAINN
–
Cc: Representative Carolyn Maloney; Representative Ann Wagner
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Abuse & Rape Crisis Shelter of Warren County
Academy of Forensic Nursing
Advocates to End Domestic Violence/SARA
Alabama Coalition Against Rape
Alternatives to Violence Center AEDV
ASPEN
Bingham Crisis Center
Boundary County Youth Crisis & Domestic Violence Hotline Bridges Against Domestic Violence
Alliance for Community Transformations
Alternatives, Inc.
Artic Women In Crisis (AWIC)
Bay Area Women Against Rape
Bright Horizons Resources for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Inc.
Call for Help, Inc.
Canyon Creek Services
CEASE Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Inc.
Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies
Center of Hope
Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault Choices, CDVPC, Inc.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Collins Center
Crisis Center of Anderson & Cherokee Counties
Crisis Center of Comal County
Crisis Center of the Plains
Crisis Resource Center of Steele County
Day One
Deaf Smith County Crisis Center, Inc.
Denton County Friends of the Family
District 4 HRDC – Domestic Abuse Program
DNA Saves
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services of Carbon County
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS)
The DOVES Program
Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center
Eastland County Crisis Center
End Violence Against Women International
Every Woman’s Place
Families First, Inc.
Family Advocates, Inc.
Family Crisis Center, Inc. of Northeast Arkansas
Family Crisis Center, Inc.
Family Service & Children’s Aid Society/PPC Violence Free Network/Shelter
Family Services of Tulare County
Freedom House
The Gateway Center, Inc.
Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center
Hannah’s Place, Inc.
Healing Hearts & Families
H-E-A-R-T, Inc.
Heartly House
Council on Domestic Violence for Page County
Crime Victim Center (St. Louis, MO)
Hope Unlimited
International Association of Forensic Nurses
International Organization for Victim Assistance (IOVA)
James House
Joyful Heart Foundation
Kedish House Domestic Violence Program
Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc.
Libral Area Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence Services, Inc
Lily Pad SANE Center, Inc.
liveSAFE Resources
Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Major Cities Chiefs Association
Matagorda County Women’s Crisis Center
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Mosaic Georgia
Moving to End Sexual Assault
Mutual Ground, Inc.
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Children’s Alliance
National Criminal Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
National Organization for Victim Assistance
North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Nebraska Rape/Domestic Abuse Program
Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence
North Coast Rape Crisis Team
NWA Center for Sexual Assault
Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Open Arms Rape Crisis Center & LGBT+ Services
Partnership of Ashe – A Safe Home for Everyone
PAVE
Piedmont Rape Crisis Center
Pike County Partnership Against Domestic Violence
Project Woman of Springfield and Clark County Promise Place
New Directions Center, Inc.
New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Pine Hills Advocacy Center
Project: SAFE
RAINN
Rape Crisis Services of Big Spring
Rape Recovery Center
Reach Counseling
Resilience, formerly Rape Victim Advocates
RISE-SLO
River House, Inc.
Safe Berks
Safe Connections
Safehouse Crisis Center, Inc.
Saint Landry Evangeline Sexual Assault Center
Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Resource Center (SARC), Inc.
Sexual Assault Center (Nashville, TN)
Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Eastern CT, Inc.
Sexual Assault Crisis Team of Washington County
Sexual Assault Support Center, Inc. (Columbus, GA)
Support, Advocacy & Resource Center (Richland, WA)
Tennessee Voices for Victims
Texas Association Against Sexual Assault The Abuse Network, Inc.
The Bridge to Hope
The Center for Family Justice
The Center For Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling And Education
The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center & Children’s Advocacy Center
The Gateway Center
The James House Intervention/Prevention Services, Inc.
The Multiracial Activist
The National Association to PROTECT Children
The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center
The Women’s Center of Tarrant County
Tifton Judicial Circuit Shelter, Inc., – DBA Ruth’s Cottage; The Patticake House
Transitions of PA
Tri-County Help Center, Inc.
True North of Columbia
Verity
St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Victim Services
St. Martha’s Hall
Starting Point Services For Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence
Sublette County SAFV Task Force
The Nord Center, Sexual Assault Services
The Purple Door
Tu Casa, Inc.
U Care, Inc. DV & SA Program
Vermilion County Rape Crisis Center
Wabanaki Women’s Coalition Winnemucca Domestic Violence Services
WV Foundation for Rape Information and Services YWCA Greater Los Angeles
YWCA Metro St. Louis
YWCA New Hampshire
YWCA of the Sauk Valley
YWCA South Hampton Roads
Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk
Victims’ Intervention Program
Victims Resource Center
Wintergarden Women’s Shelter, Inc.
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Women’s Alliance, Inc. DBA: Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center
Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR)
WV Foundation for Rape Information and Services
Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
South Brevard Women’s Center, Inc.
YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts
YWCA Richmond
Footnotes:
1 See, Gerald LaPorte, et al. “National Institute of Justice’s 2017 Fiscal Year Report on “Funding for DNA Analysis, Capacity Enhancement and Other Forensic Activities.” National Institutes of Justice. 4 (April 2018). at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/251445.pdf. See also, Federal Bureau of Investigation. “CODIS-NDIS Statistics.” (February 2019). at: https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/ndis-statistics.
2 LaPorte at 4.
3 U.S. General Accounting Office, GAO-19-216: “DNA Evidence. DOJ Should Improve Performance Measurement and Properly Design Controls for Nationwide Grant Program.” 17-18 (March 2019). Available at https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-216.