Rep. Nadler Lauds House Passage of Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act

Bill Includes Nadler Amendment to Increase Funding to Help End Backlog of DNA Evidence and Support DNA Analysis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties today hailed the House’s adoption of H.R. 5057, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008.  The bill, which reauthorizes the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, was adopted on a voice vote.

The bill contains two amendments authored by Rep. Nadler and Anthony Weiner (NY-9) which were adopted in committee.  One of these amendments increased funding for DNA processing, training and technology, by increasing the base amount by $792 million to $1.55 billion over the next five years.  The underlying bill will help the development of a comprehensive national database and will help laboratories reduce the delays in processing DNA samples.

“DNA testing is an extremely useful law enforcement tool,” said Rep. Nadler.  “But rape kits and other tests are undermined if there’s a huge backlog to input new samples.  This bill will help ensure that these tests are processed quickly and accurately.  No one should have justice delayed because the labs aren’t working fast enough or because they don’t have the resources to process the data.”

Rep. Nadler was a leader in the fight for the original grant program, which authorized grant money for states to collect samples from crime scenes and convicted persons, conduct DNA analyses, and enter these results into a comprehensive national database.  Nadler fought for years to move the legislation forward and ensure that it was properly funded.  This year, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) introduced the reauthorization bill, which Rep. Nadler co-sponsored.

“Today’s action by the House is a victory for crime victims seeking justice,” Nadler added.  “I urge my colleagues in the Senate to act quickly and pass this measure.”