PA Rape Kit Tracking Bill To Empower Victims Introduced By Bipartisan Female Legislators

PENNSYLVANIA — A trio of bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a statewide tracking system for sexual assault evidence administered jointly by law enforcement and health officials.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by State. Sen. Katie Muth, D-44, State House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, D-191, and State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R- 116, would allow sexual assault victims to track the status of their case evidence along with giving them information about who to contact for more information.

“If we are serious about empowering victims and increasing transparency, we need to establish a tracking system that gives victims timely access to their evidence and updates on their cases,” Muth, whose district represents Lower Providence and nearby Montgomery County communities, along with parts of Chester and Berks Counties, said in a statement. “Every sexual assault kit is more than a number – it is the face of an individual who lived through hell and deserves justice.”

According to Muth’s office, the country’s first rape kit tracking law was enacted back in 2014 in Michigan, and since that time 30 states and Washington, D.C. have either implemented, or are in the process of implementing, sexual assault kit tracking systems.

The trio of female lawmakers, from both sides of the political aisle, stressed this matter is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but rather an opportunity to give sexual assault survivors all tools at their disposal to obtain justice and begin to heal.

“This commonsense legislation will establish a one-stop tracking system for people to get answers regarding the most traumatic and stressful event of their lives,” McClinton said in a statement. “We owe it to these brave individuals to enact this kind of system in the commonwealth.”

The lawmakers say that tracking systems provide for a comprehensive analysis of total rape kits in a given state, showing how many are in hospital possession, law enforcement custody, or sitting in laboratories awaiting testing or have been tested awaiting pickup and transfer.

The establishment of a statewide tracking system, the legislators say, would also help to prevent a backlog of untested rape kits.

Toohil, whose district covers Luzerne County, said that the bill would provide additional transparency and allow victims of sexual assault, abuse and rape to log into a database for real-time updates concerning their cases.

“Despite many improvements to the Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act, too many victims of sexual assault in Pennsylvania still struggle to access updates on the status of their rape kits,” Toohil said in a statement. “It is simply unacceptable for a person who survived a brutal attack to also have to endure delays created by the system.”

Companion bills have been introduced in both legislative chambers. They are Senate Bill 860 and House Bill 1848.