Video & Transcript Research : 'rape kit'
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LA
Louisiana 2026 Regular Session
House and Governmental Affairs May 6th, 2026
House and Governmental Affairs
Keywords:
human rights, individual liberties, Magna Carta, constitutionalism, free speech, Uniform Construction Code, building code, construction code, inspector licensing, building inspectors, plans examiners, public inspector, private inspector, private inspector company, building official, code enforcement, Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission, state fire marshal, International Building Code, International Residential Code
LA
Louisiana 2026 Regular Session
Administration of Criminal Justice Mar 18th, 2026
Administration of Criminal Justice
Keywords:
HB 36, Act 780, Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District, juvenile justice, juveniles, Evangeline Parish, regional district, board of commissioners, commission membership, Louisiana juvenile law, R.S. 15:1109, R.S. 15:1109.1, parish governance, district boundaries, local government, HB 52, Act 192, Louisiana criminal procedure, misdemeanor jury trial, six-person jury
LA
Bills:
HB62, HB124, HB182, HB193, HB198, HB203, HB223, HB237, HB469, HB486, HB574, HB779, HB796, HB919, SCR2, SB4, SB36, SB38, SB109, SB152, SB168, SB195, SB216, SB221, SB236, SB404
Keywords:
Louisiana Women's Policy, gender equality, policy research, commission membership, women's representation, Domestic Violence, judicial experience, legislation, criminal law, family law, HB182, sexual assault, rape kit, forensic examination, forensic medical exam, sexual assault survivor, sexual assault nurse examiner, SANE, emergency department, hospital staffing
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- So, Madam Chair, so you're saying we had a rape kit for 30 years?
- of these 5,000 rape kits. Was it 5 years, 10 years? What was the average age?
- So, any of those rape kits, Madam Chair, did they, that when you guys went through?
- And after those rape kits were processed and run through the system, I think it was 400 or 500 people
- The problem is people don't have these rape kits processed. They just don't sit there forever.
Keywords:
SB132, DOIT, Department of Information Technology, software replacement, equipment replacement, technology funding, revolving fund, capital equipment, enterprise services, state IT budgeting, software budgeting, amortization, depreciation, State Treasurer, Department of Finance and Administration, New Mexico, information technology, IT infrastructure, fund accounting, legislative appropriation
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Courts, Corrections and Justice May 27th, 2025
Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh, there was a recent story in the press about the rape, uh, kit backlog.
- Ground with the um with the rape kit backlog to explain that history.
- Um, and, and that's what what I referred to in terms of a sexual assault kit or the rape kit backlog,
- Um, but let's say there's a plea and the, and the rape kit has been taken, um, what happens to that rape
- Uh, this ending the rape, the rape kit backlog issue, uh, I really wish that they would have brought
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Courts, Corrections and Justice May 27th, 2025
Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh, there was a recent story in the press about the rape, uh, kit backlog.
- Ground with the um with the rape kit backlog to explain that history.
- Um, and, and that's what what I referred to in terms of a sexual assault kit or the rape kit backlog,
- Um, but let's say there's a plea and the, and the rape kit has been taken, um, what happens to that rape
- Uh, this ending the rape, the rape kit backlog issue, uh, I really wish that they would have brought
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (01/16/2026)
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (01/16/2026)
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- The other thing is the rape kit.
- Uh there's been call the rape kit.
- It is more expensive than a rape kit.
- It is more expensive than a rape<04:45:42.000>
kit. - Why are perpetrators getting rape kit.
Summary:
The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1651, which would create a civil sexual assault protective order for survivors who do not have a domestic violence or stalking relationship with the offender, and would also update the sexual assault survivors’ bill of rights regarding evidence kit retention and tracking. Representative Jennifer Rhodes, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to fill gaps for survivors assaulted by strangers, acquaintances, or others outside existing protective-order categories, and to ensure evidence is preserved for the longer of the statute of limitations or the retention period. Committee members asked whether the new order could be misused and how the bill would prevent frivolous petitions; the sponsor said the same legal process would apply and a victim would still have to prove they were actually assaulted.
Representative Eileen Kelly and Lynn Shallet of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence testified in support, saying current law leaves many sexual assault survivors without a meaningful civil remedy unless they qualify for domestic violence or stalking relief. Shallet said the gap has existed for decades and noted that other states already have standalone sexual assault protective orders. She also said the bill would clarify survivors’ rights to know the status and location of their evidence kits. Shauna Foster of New Beginnings Without Violence and Abuse described local cases where survivors were denied protective orders because they lacked the required relationship with the offender, including a co-worker assault and an assault involving an unhoused survivor.
Lisa Curtis, a survivor and founder of Safe Haven Ballet, gave emotional testimony in support, describing her own sexual assault and the difficulty of seeking protection and justice. She said survivors need safety to recover and that the bill would better align the justice system with trauma-informed support. Janet Carroll, a sexual assault nurse examiner and advisory board co-chair, testified that the bill’s evidence-kit provisions reflect federal changes and existing tracking practices. She explained that New Hampshire uses a kit tracking system that lets patients and professionals follow kits through the process, and said the bill would codify the right to be informed of a kit’s status and location. No vote was taken during the hearing.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- kits.
- through a multi-hour invasive process of getting a rape kit done. only to have law enforcement not pick
- If the law enforcement agency doesn't log into the system and receive the kit and track it the kit will
- past due to the laboratory, which includes kits remaining. at medical facilities, and kits stored with
- We had 100 kits in 2014, which means we were scheduled to do a 2023 and 98 kits in 2024.
Keywords:
criminal law, magistrates, Bell County, judicial authority, legal framework, evidence collection, sexual assault kits, reporting, law enforcement, transparency, confidentiality, victim protection, stalking, indecent assault, invasive visual recording, criminal justice, privacy rights, SB 535, Texas criminal procedure, rape shield
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- This was also during a time that we were seeing a national crisis of untested rape kits.
- This was also during a time that we were seeing a national crisis of untested rape kits.
- kits.
- kits.
- So the DNA experts are the people at the lab, they're the same ones testing the rape kits.
Keywords:
medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (04/11/2025)
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- When rape kits are not tested, it sends the message to perpetrators that they can commit vicious acts
- In her own words, "When rape kits kits.
- When rape kits are if they come forward.
- When rape kits are tested,<00:34:10.320>
DNA <00:34:10.800>can <00:34:11.040>be < - When rape kits are not wrongly accused.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Standing Committee on Local Government. (2-17-26)
Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- , me went on to burglarize, rape, me went on to burglarize, rape, sodomize,<00:09:49.360>
and< - It matched all the rapes.
- It matched all the rapes.
- It matched all the rapes.
- It matched all the rapes.
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00:02
Roll Call 00:00:23
HB 414 Discussion 00:01:58
HB 414 Vote 00:22:34
HB 43 Discussion 00:24:56
HB 43 Vote 00:26:37
HB 518 Discussion 00:27:37
HB 518 Vote 00:45:20
Adjournment 00:46:35, 958, all
Summary:
The committee met with a quorum and took up three bills. House Bill 414, sponsored by the chair, would require collection of DNA at booking for felony arrests. Supporters, including Sen. Julie Rocky Adams, Michelle Kyper, and Ashley Spence, argued that felony-arrest DNA collection is already used in many states and in the federal system, helps solve cold cases, and can exonerate innocent people. Kyper and Spence gave detailed personal testimony about sexual assaults and how delayed DNA collection allowed serial offenders to remain unidentified for years. Members asked about the removal of a $5 fee in the committee substitute and about what happens to DNA if a case is dismissed; the sponsor said the fee was removed to treat DNA collection like other booking procedures, and that dismissed-case language was taken out because of concerns about duplicate samples. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill favorably on a roll call vote.
House Bill 43, sponsored by Rep. Diana Gordon, would create a grace period for deputy coroners to complete required annual training when extenuating circumstances prevent timely completion. Gordon said the bill was a repeat of last session’s HB 403 and was intended to let deputies remain employed rather than lose their license and reapply. After a brief question about how often extensions would be used, she said the grace period would be discretionary and limited to unusual circumstances. The committee then passed the bill favorably by roll call.
House Bill 518, also with a committee substitute, addressed local tax collection and payment procedures. The sponsor described it as a compromise between business groups and local governments, aimed at simplifying payment of local occupational license fees and net profits taxes by requiring cities and counties to offer electronic payment options. Testimony from the Kentucky League of Cities, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the County Judge/Executive Association focused on reducing paperwork for businesses while preserving local control and avoiding forced centralization. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill favorably on a roll call vote.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs Mar 26th, 2025
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- The legislature required an audit that revealed at least 18,000 untested rape kits in Texas.
- In 2019, we passed legislation intended to tackle the rape kit backlog in Texas by requiring an audit
- . kits and 577 unsubmitted kits.
- That one uncollected rape kit could... ...could have identifying information of a serial rapist, not
- They can have their rape kit done.
Bills:
HB1583, HB1775, HB1832, HB1836, HB1837, HB1866, HB1983, HB2029, HB2217, HB2318, HB2363, HB2486
Keywords:
mental health, emergency detention, peace officer, mental illness, prevention of harm, border security, private landowners, study and report, General Land Office, participation, controlled substances, opioid antagonists, law enforcement training, substance abuse prevention, Texas-Mexico border, criminal justice, public safety, law enforcement, National Park Service, arrest powers
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Executive Departments and Administration (02/11/2026)
Executive Departments and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- have a rape kit." have a rape kit."
- So, this is what I knew about the rape kit bill.
- a rape kit, I've also when I got denied a rape kit, I've also been<04:08:31.199>
called <04:08: - Do you know what's in a rape kit? >> Yes. There are several different things in a rape kit.
- rape,<05:10:11.680>
you the rape kit for physical rape, you the rape kit for physical rape
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- did not prosecute the man who raped did not prosecute the man who raped her<01:37:45.679>
in< - in her own of evidence collection kits in her own words<01:38:27.760>
when <01:38:28.000>rape - <01:38:29.639>
it words when rape kits are not tested it words when rape kits are not tested - DNA forward when rape kits are tested DNA forward when rape kits are tested DNA can<01:38:42.599>
- accused she went on to say when rape accused she went on to say when rape kits<01:38:53.040>
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Finance Division I (03/09/2026)
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, and they include a right to a sexual assault evidence kit, what we colloquially call a rape kit,
- kit, as well as the right to have a rape kit, as well as the right to have that<01:44:12.000>
evidence - <01:48:57.600>
kit, <01:48:57.840>which the over-the-counter rape kit, which the over-the-counter - in information rape kits for victims in information rape kits for victims in several<01:49:03.280
- c> swab<01:49:32.880>
and part of a rape kit is not the swab and part of a rape kit is not
Summary:
The committee began a work session on House Bill 1600, concerning access to the centralized voter registration database on election days. Secretary of State David Scanlan testified that the state already has a new statewide voter registration system connected to town clerks and supervisors of the checklist, and that the bill was probably unnecessary but acceptable if the legislature wanted it. He raised concern about language that could require direct electronic access in every polling place, noting that some polling locations lack reliable internet or cell service and that municipalities can change polling locations, which could make a rigid requirement expensive and impractical. Members discussed whether the bill should be clarified to allow direct or indirect access, including use of a phone-based workaround, and the secretary said that would address his concern.
The committee then voted on HB 1600. Representative Maguire moved ought to pass with an amendment adding “direct or indirect access” on page one, line seven, and the motion was seconded. The amendment was adopted 9-0 by voice vote, and the committee then voted 9-0 to OTP the bill. The chair stated that HB 1600 would be placed on consent.
The committee next took up House Bill 1197F FN, a technical correction to insurance laws. Members noted it had already passed the House with amendment and that the fiscal note was effectively indeterminate but would not affect the general fund because the insurance agency is self-funded. The committee voted 9-0 to OTP the bill; the chair said consent calendar placement would be decided by the full committee.
Finally, the committee opened a work session on House Bill 11:30 FN regarding judicial performance evaluations. Representative Lynn, the bill’s sponsor, argued that the fiscal note overstated the immediate cost and said the judicial branch could likely manage through the current biennium while implementing the new system. He also supported making judges’ names public and said the bill’s anonymity provisions were aimed at protecting the identities of questionnaire respondents, not the judges being evaluated. Members asked about public disclosure, internal access to evaluation materials, and the removal of language allowing the governor and executive council to receive evaluations on request; discussion continued on those points, but no final vote on HB 11:30 FN was taken in the portion provided.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- She also had a defendant who raped his sister.
- Um, because the second sister was an adult when the rape occurred, the evidence of the previous rape
- So I, I, I can't say that everybody who rapes somebody has raped other people, right?
- They have no control over their own bodies when they're being raped.
- So if they have raped someone 20 years ago, that's still in their nature that they've raped someone today
Keywords:
HB 207, Texas Government Code, Section 411.201, license to carry, LTC, handgun license, concealed carry, federal judge, immigration judge, immigration court, U.S. immigration court, judicial security, firearm carry permit, Texas handgun license, federal judiciary, HB235, Texas, sales tax exemption, use tax exemption, disabled veteran
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- She also had a ...defendant who raped his sister.
- Because the second sister was an adult when the rape occurred, the evidence of the previous rape with
- And if women B and C say, he raped me too, your intent is to use that evidence to convict him of raping
- So I can't say that everybody who raped somebody has raped other people, right?
- So, if they have raped someone 20 years ago, that's still in their nature that they've raped someone
Bills:
HB207, HB235, HB324, HB449, HB463, HB502, HB 1121, HB1445, HB1465, HB1778, HB1977, HB2000, HB2066, HB2596, HB207, HB235
Keywords:
child protection, sexual offenses, obscenity laws, visual material, anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, robots, criminal offenses, sexually explicit material, minors, artificial intelligence, sexually explicit, doll, mannequin, robot, law enforcement, healthcare, insurance, affordable care, access
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on the Judiciary Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Transcript Highlights:
- Is this going to be like a statute of rape, excuse me, statutory rape, where we're removing any kind
- I had reported rape.
- kits... ...in Oklahoma.
- Three restraining orders and four rape kits against the same guy who drug her down to his basement, handcuffed
- her, raped her for hours.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy hearing on a wide range of bills involving domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, trafficking, victim compensation, and related criminal justice reforms. Testimony focused on measures to support survivors and close perceived legal gaps, including bills to protect domestic violence survivors in child welfare proceedings, expand victim compensation for homicide families and trafficking survivors, create a DNA exception to the rape statute of limitations, eliminate or extend statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse, and strengthen laws on upskirting, sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority, and sexual assault by rideshare drivers. Several speakers also addressed bills concerning vulnerable adults, harassment and custody-related abuse, and early evidence kits.
Witnesses included legislators, prosecutors, advocates, and many survivors who described personal experiences with abuse and barriers to justice. Supporters argued that current laws often leave survivors without meaningful remedies, especially where consent, reporting requirements, evidentiary rules, or statutes of limitations prevent prosecution or compensation. Prosecutors and advocates said the bills would clarify vague statutes, increase penalties in some cases, and better reflect the realities of coercion, grooming, trafficking, and delayed reporting. Some testimony also urged amendments, including changes to victim compensation reporting rules and clarifications to avoid unintended conflicts with other wage-recovery laws.
No committee votes or final actions were taken in the hearing itself. The chairs emphasized strict time limits, respectful conduct, and the submission of written testimony, and several witnesses were called out of order to accommodate the large number of speakers.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Criminal Justice Oct 7th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Do you have any rape kits sitting on shelves still?
- kits right now sitting on a shelf that haven't been examined?
- So we'll use rapes for an example. Perpetrator leaves behind blood or semen evidence.
- Then as far as sex assault kits, like I said, sex assault Then as far as sex assault kits, like I said
- , sex assault kits, we have 120 days.
Summary:
The committee met with Senators Garcia and Simon excused and heard a presentation from FDLE Deputy Commissioner Vaden Pollard on homicide and violent-crime investigations, focusing on access to blood evidence, toxicology, medical records, mental health records, and the legal limits imposed by Florida law, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2. He explained that autopsy evidence collected by medical examiners is generally available to law enforcement, while hospital records and mental health/substance abuse records usually require subpoenas, court orders, or consent, which can delay investigations. He also discussed the difference between DNA testing and toxicology testing, the role of warrants and probable cause for living suspects, and the special rules that apply when a suspect is deceased.
Members asked detailed questions about what toxicology panels include, whether medications can be tested for, how medical examiners review prior medical history, and whether FDLE tracks data linking violent crime to mental health issues or follow up with regulators after incidents. Pollard said the agency follows investigative leads where relevant, but regulatory follow-up depends on the circumstances. He also discussed behavioral threat assessment and management, and said risk protection orders have been used effectively to prevent violence and can lead to court-ordered evaluations and services.
The committee then shifted to crime lab capacity and turnaround times. Pollard said the average DNA turnaround time was 208 days for some evidence, with anything over 30 days considered backlog, but that sexual assault kits are prioritized and generally handled much faster, with rush cases sometimes completed within 24 hours. Members expressed concern about delays in unsolved violent and sexual assault cases and asked what resources would help reduce backlog; Pollard said additional analysts would improve turnaround times. The meeting concluded with thanks to the presenter and adjournment after Senator Bernard moved to adjourn.