HF3017 Summary

• Commissioners of health and public safety must develop notice to sexual assault victims informing them of county obligation to pay for examinations, victim rights including reparations and protection orders, and opportunity to obtain status information about their examination kit.

• Law enforcement agencies must retrieve unrestricted sexual assault examination kits from health care providers within 10 days of notification and submit kits to forensic laboratories within 60 days, unless the agency determines the kit would not add evidentiary value.

• Sexual assault victims may request written authorization on a release form at time of examination to allow law enforcement to submit their kit for testing (unrestricted kit), or may decline to authorize submission (restricted kit).

• Law enforcement agencies must adopt policies by January 1, 2019 to designate representatives to respond to victim requests for information within 30 days, release data about kit submission dates and DNA profiles obtained, and allow victims to convert restricted kits to unrestricted status.

• Victims may designate another person to request information on their behalf, and failure to meet procedural deadlines is not grounds for case dismissal or exclusion of evidence.