HB 2870 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive rights for sexual assault survivors including the right to consult with a sexual assault victim advocate during medical examinations and interviews with law enforcement or prosecutors.

• Mandates that communications between sexual assault survivors and victim advocates be confidential and privileged, and prohibits survivors from being charged for costs of medical evidentiary examinations.

• Requires medical facilities and law enforcement to inform survivors of their rights using attorney general-developed documents and provide notice of sexual assault kit evidence retention, analysis procedures, and the survivor's right to request analysis at any time before evidence expiration.

• Protects survivors from polygraph examination requirements, prohibits use of sexual assault kit evidence to prosecute survivors for misdemeanors or crimes under Arizona Chapter 34, and ensures survivors receive timely notice of case dispositions and defendant custody status.

• Requires law enforcement to submit sexual assault kit evidence to crime laboratories within fifteen business days of receipt and allows survivors to request free copies of all law enforcement reports regardless of case status.