Maloney-Smith Bill Protects Victims of Rape
Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today introduced the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008 to extend a federal DNA backlog processing program through 2014.
The original bill was passed in 2004 as part of the Justice for All Act, which ensured DNA evidence could be used to convict the guilty and free the innocent. Since then, millions of dollars in federal funding have been appropriated under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program to process the hundreds of thousands of DNA evidence kits across the country.
"Congress has a responsibility to ensure justice for rape victims and tough sentences for rapists," stated Ranking Member Smith. "The Debbie Smith Act helps law enforcement officials identify, apprehend and prosecute rapists by reducing the DNA backlog. Debbie Smith's courageous efforts have brought justice to rape victims nationwide. This important legislation protects women by providing federal funding to process the DNA evidence needed to take violent criminals off the streets."
"Passing the original Debbie Smith bill was a huge victory for Debbie, and for the thousands of rape survivors like her," said Representative Maloney. "Our bill is set to expire soon, but I will not stand by and let rapists roam free while the DNA evidence that could convict them goes unprocessed. Reauthorizing the Debbie Smith Act will ensure we continue to keep rapists off our streets and put them in prison where they belong."
The original Debbie Smith Act was authored after rape survivor Debbie Smith testified before the House Government Reform Committee in June 2001 about using DNA evidence to solve rape cases. In 1989, Debbie Smith was raped near her home. For six and a half years, she lived in fear that her attacker would return to kill her. Only on the day that Debbie's husband told her that the man who had raped Debbie who had been identified because of DNA evidencewas already in prison, was Debbie able to live without fear.
A bipartisan coalition of members of Congress, organizations, and crime victims worked together to pass the original Debbie Smith Act. The president signed the bill into law just as police in New York State made their first arrest based the DNA sample of a suspect in a sexual assault case from 1996. The bill's authorization is currently set to expire at the end of fiscal year 2009.
For more information on the Debbie Smith Act, please visit: http://maloney.house.gov