Bill > S01337

This bill amends existing executive law to enhance the processing and handling of sexual offense forensic evidence in New York State. The legislation expands the definition of forensic DNA laboratories to explicitly include forensic testing of sexual offense evidence and updates various sections of the law to incorporate sexual offense forensic evidence testing into existing DNA-related procedures. Key provisions include requiring law enforcement agencies to forward sexual offense forensic evidence to authorized forensic DNA laboratories within ten business days of booking the evidence, mandating that these laboratories perform testing and analysis within three months when staffing and resources permit, and establishing reporting requirements for agencies with unprocessed sexual offense evidence. The bill also provides victims of sexual offenses the right to access information about whether their forensic evidence has been tested, entered into the state DNA identification index, and if a match was found. Additionally, the legislation requires annual reporting of active cases with unprocessed sexual offense evidence and directs the division of criminal justice services to seek funding to support the analysis of sexual offense forensic evidence. The goal is to improve the timely processing of sexual offense evidence and increase the potential for identifying perpetrators through DNA analysis, while maintaining strict confidentiality and privacy protections.

Business and Industry

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1337