MA S1079

Creates legal definition for "early evidence kits" as professional services enabling early DNA collection and storage when traditional sexual assault forensic exams are not accessible, with admissibility subject to court scrutiny

Requires hospitals to inform sexual assault victims in writing that evidence kits will be retained for at least 15 years, and prohibits government entities from destroying forensic evidence until conviction and sentence completion, all identified suspects are deceased, or the statute of limitations expires

Mandates crime laboratories test all sexual assault evidence kits within 30 days of receipt; laboratories in municipalities under 150,000 population may accept self-administered kits

Requires law enforcement to label early evidence kits to differentiate them from kits collected by Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), and mandates entry of DNA profiles into CODIS and the state DNA database

Grants victims the right to remain anonymous without filing a criminal complaint while preserving the option to file at a future time, and requires victims receive written information about kit testing, preservation, and disposal policies