Happy Valley Times

A new law in Pennsylvania, Act 122 of 2024, introduces a statewide rape kit evidence tracking system. Sponsored by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr., the legislation allows survivors to track their rape kits throughout the testing process, from collection to destruction. With this move, Pennsylvania aligns with 35 states and the District of Columbia that have already implemented similar systems.

Senator Langerholc expressed that "Act 122 strengthens our commitment to empowering survivors and holding offenders accountable." He emphasized that the system will bring transparency and accountability to the investigation process for sexual assault survivors.

The law also ensures Pennsylvania's compliance with the Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors provision in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. This includes waiving appeal processes for untimely compensation claims due to delays in rape kit testing.

Additionally, Act 122 clarifies existing rights and establishes new statutory rights for sexual assault survivors. A ceremonial bill signing was attended by Governor Josh Shapiro and Erika Brosig, Chief Operating Officer from Victim Services Inc.

Erika Brosig commented on the importance of this development: “The very nature of sexual assault is that it takes away power from the survivor. Having this tracking system will give survivors some of their power back and facilitate healing right from the start.”

This legislation builds upon Senator Langerholc’s previous efforts supporting sexual assault survivors. In 2018, he sponsored Act 164 to streamline evidence collection and reporting processes. In 2019, he sponsored Act 29 which introduced a comprehensive bill of rights for survivors in Pennsylvania.