Sen. Tammy Baldwin Applauds Obama Over Addressing Untested Rape Kits

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin applauded President Barack Obama for his swift movement to address the overwhelming backlog of untested rape kits nationwide. Just days after Baldwin sent a strongly worded letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch calling for the Department of Justice to take "immediate steps" on the issue, she and Vice President Joe Biden announced $41 million in grant awards to 20 jurisdictions to eliminate or reduce the number of untested sexual assault kits across the country, including $2 million for the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

"[The] announcement from the Department of Justice is a major step toward helping victims of sexual assault in Wisconsin and across the country access the swift and thorough justice they deserve," said Senator Baldwin. "The current backlog in Wisconsin and across the country leaves victims and their families without closure and potentially puts other members of our communities at risk of sexual violence, but I am hopeful this federal investment will provide local law enforcement with resources and technical assistance that can help them eliminate the backlog as quickly as possible."

Baldwin was incensed after a recent USA Today investigation revealed at least 70,000 sexual assault kits remain untested nationwide, including more than 6,000 in Wisconsin.

"This is simply unacceptable and the Department must more strongly fulfill the key role Congress has directed it to take in helping local law enforcement agencies address the backlog," wrote Senator Baldwin after reading about the investigation. "It is critical that victims of sexual assault across the country receive the swift and thorough justice they deserve, and timely analysis of DNA evidence is one important tool in ensuring that is what they get. [This] backlog leaves victims and their families without closure and potentially puts other members of our communities at risk of sexual violence. Congress has sent a strong message to the Department that addressing this ongoing crisis is a bipartisan priority and I urge you to take immediate steps to provide local law enforcement with resources and technical assistance that can help them eliminate the backlog as quickly as possible."

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Baldwin supported the Fiscal Year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which included strong funding for the Debbie Smith Act and directed the Department of Justice to use the vast majority of this funding specifically to reduce the backlog in testing sexual assault kits. In 2004, Congress passed the Debbie Smith Act authorizing federal grants to assist local law enforcement in the testing of backlogged DNA samples, and has twice reauthorized this law with overwhelming, bipartisan support.

This announcement is part of an unprecedented partnership with the New York County District Attorney's Office (DANY), whose own grant program is contributing $38 million to the cause for a total of $79 million to eliminate the backlog reaching 43 jurisdictions in 27 states across the country.

Survivors of sexual assault face many physical and emotional challenges in the wake of an attack, including the difficult process of assisting law enforcement in finding and prosecuting their assailants, in many cases by using sexual assault kits to preserve DNA samples. Many of these kits are never processed, but rather sit untested in police storage or on the shelf at a crime lab facility.

Read Senator Baldwin's letter here.