Contact: Nicole Tieman
202-225-5101
Washington, D.C. – The Rapid DNA Act, introduced by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and passed in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support earlier this year, has passed in the Senate and now heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
The Rapid DNA Act would establish a system for the integration of Rapid DNA instruments for use by law enforcement to help reduce the DNA backlog. Unlike traditional DNA analysis, which can take weeks, Rapid DNA analysis permits processing of DNA samples in approximately 90 minutes or less.
This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way in which arrested individuals are enrolled in the criminal justice system, shorten the time required for their DNA to be linked to unsolved crimes, and expedite the exoneration of innocent suspects by giving law enforcement officials a new system that meets FBI quality assurance standards to compare DNA samples collected at the time of an arrest to profiles in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Congressman Sensenbrenner: “Rapid DNA is a promising new technology and an effective tool for law enforcement – I’m thrilled to see its final passage in the Senate. This technology will help quickly identify arrestees and offenders, reduce the overwhelming backlog in forensic DNA analysis, and make crime fighting efforts more efficient while helping to prevent future crimes from occurring. It will also save time and taxpayer dollars. I look forward to President Trump promptly signing it into law.”
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