Public Safety - Rape Kit Testing - Tracking Program and Grant Fund
SB 669 makes targeted changes to Maryland’s sexual assault evidence collection kit tracking and rape kit testing funding framework. It extends the deadline for certain agencies and other holders of sexual assault evidence collection kits to report location, status, and chain-of-custody information to the state tracking program from December 31, 2025 to March 31, 2026. The bill also revises the Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund so that it can support a broader set of purposes related to rape kit testing and survivor services.
Under the bill, the Fund may be used not only for testing kits by forensic laboratories, but also for equipment, supplies, personnel, and outsourcing; assistance from the Office of the Attorney General for investigations involving untested kits collected before October 1, 2020; funding for the statewide sexual assault coalition to operate a victim notification hotline and related services; and support for peer-to-peer telehealth programs. The bill also directs the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to administer the Fund, set distribution procedures, ensure statewide access, prioritize funding until all pre-October 1, 2020 kits are tested or determined not to require testing, and report annually to the General Assembly. It further prohibits use of the Fund to support the sexual assault evidence kit tracking system itself.
The bill’s practical effect is to amend provisions in the Criminal Procedure Article and Public Safety Article governing rape kit tracking and the grant fund. It expands eligible uses of the Fund, imposes additional administrative duties on the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, and clarifies that the Fund is supplemental rather than a replacement for other appropriations. The measure takes effect October 1, 2025.
The bill appears to have had strong bipartisan support and little visible opposition in the recorded votes, passing the Senate 44-0 and the House 135-0. That voting history suggests broad agreement on the need to continue addressing untested sexual assault kits, improve survivor notification and support, and refine the state’s funding structure for kit testing and related services.
No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to identify specific objections. Based on the bill text, any likely points of contention would center on how the Fund is allocated, whether money should be diverted to victim services and investigations versus direct testing, and the decision to exclude the tracking system from Fund support. The bill’s structure suggests a policy choice to prioritize clearing the backlog of older kits while also strengthening survivor outreach and support services.
SB 669 amends Maryland law in the Criminal Procedure Article and Public Safety Article by extending a reporting deadline for the sexual assault evidence collection kit tracking program and by substantially revising the Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund. It broadens authorized uses of the Fund, adds new administrative and reporting duties for the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, and bars the Fund from being used to support the kit tracking system itself. The bill affects law enforcement agencies, forensic laboratories, the Attorney General’s Office, the statewide sexual assault coalition, and survivors who may receive hotline, notification, and support services.
The recorded legislative sentiment appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill passed both chambers unanimously, indicating broad consensus that Maryland should continue funding rape kit testing, improve survivor services, and manage the remaining backlog of older untested kits. The absence of recorded dissent or committee testimony in the provided materials suggests the measure was viewed as a technical and policy refinement rather than a contested overhaul.
No formal opposition is reflected in the provided votes or transcripts. The main policy questions implicit in the bill are how to balance funding between direct kit testing, investigative support, survivor notification services, and telehealth programs, and whether the Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund should be allowed to support the tracking system. The bill resolves those questions by expanding the Fund’s purposes while explicitly excluding the tracking program from Fund support, and by requiring continued distributions until the pre-October 1, 2020 backlog is addressed.