Happy Valley Times

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill introduced by Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. to establish a statewide rape kit evidence tracking system. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 920, allows survivors to monitor the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process, from collection to destruction.

Senator Langerholc emphasized the importance of this measure, stating, "Senate Bill 920 strengthens our commitment to empowering survivors and holding offenders accountable." He added that the system would bring transparency and accountability to the investigation process for sexual assault cases.

With this bill, Pennsylvania will join 35 other states and the District of Columbia in implementing such tracking systems. The legislation also aligns with the Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors provision of the recent Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. It includes a waiver for survivors who file untimely claims for compensation due to delays in rape kit testing, eliminating the need for an appeal process.

Additionally, Senate Bill 920 clarifies existing rights and establishes new statutory rights for sexual assault survivors. This effort is part of Senator Langerholc's ongoing work supporting survivors. In previous years, he sponsored Act 164 in 2018 to streamline evidence collection processes and Act 29 in 2019 which established a comprehensive bill of rights for survivors in Pennsylvania.

The bill now awaits approval from the governor.