Bill > SB304

This bill, titled the "Compassionate Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Act," amends existing Georgia law to establish new procedures for handling evidence collected during forensic medical examinations, particularly in cases of alleged sexual assault. It defines "Division" as the Division of Forensic Sciences of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and "Medical examination" as an examination related to sexual assault. The bill mandates that when a forensic medical examination is performed and the alleged victim requests law enforcement notification, the examiner must inform the appropriate law enforcement agency and provide a summary of the victim's rights under the Crime Victims' Bill of Rights. Law enforcement must then take possession of the evidence within 96 hours and submit it to the Division of Forensic Sciences within 30 days of collection. The bill also includes provisions for handling evidence collected before July 1, 2016, and requires law enforcement agencies to create and submit lists of evidence awaiting testing to the Division. Finally, the Division will issue an annual report on evidence testing and cases awaiting testing, which will be provided to various state officials and posted online.