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Bill > H3589


MA H3589

MA H3589
Relative to the preservation of evidence


summary

Introduced
01/22/2019
In Committee
01/22/2019
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
12/31/2020

Introduced Session

191st General Court

Bill Summary

Relative to the preservation of collected forensic evidence. The Judiciary.

AI Summary

This bill amends existing laws to improve the preservation of forensic evidence, particularly in cases involving serious crimes such as murder, sexual assault, and child abuse. Key provisions include: 1) Requiring cities, towns, and hospitals to permanently retain forensic evidence and sexual assault kits used in these cases, rather than for a minimum of 15 years. 2) Extending the statute of limitations for certain serious crimes to allow for the prosecution of these cases even many years after the crime was committed. 3) Mandating the permanent retention of forensic evidence even in cases where the defendant has already been convicted, to allow for potential future DNA testing and appeals.

Committee Categories

Justice

Sponsors (24)

Last Action

Accompanied a study order, see H5081 (on 11/12/2020)

bill text


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