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Rape kit tracking bill wins final approval in Georgia General Assembly

03/25/2021 —Atlanta, Georgia —Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) speaks in favor of SB 202 in the Senate Chambers on day 38 of the legislative session at the Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta, Thursday, March 25, 2021. SB 202 passed the Senate and House Chambers and will be signed by Gov. Brian Kemp. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

03/25/2021 —Atlanta, Georgia —Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) speaks in favor of SB 202 in the Senate Chambers on day 38 of the legislative session at the Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta, Thursday, March 25, 2021. SB 202 passed the Senate and House Chambers and will be signed by Gov. Brian Kemp. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)
By
March 29, 2021

The Georgia Senate voted unanimously Monday to help victims of sexual assaults keep track of evidence in their cases, sending the bill to Gov. Brian Kemp.

The Senate voted 49-0 to approve House Bill 255, which would create a tracking system of rape kits from initial collection to receipt, storage and analysis. Victims will be able to follow the evidence as it moves through the criminal justice system, including prosecutions.

The bill is the state’s latest effort to empower victims after the General Assembly previously passed laws in recent years requiring police to save sexual assault evidence and clear backlogs of untested rape kits.

ExploreAJC Bill Tracker: Live updating bills to watch in the Georgia Legislature

“These measures will improve the state’s response to sexual assault,” said state Sen. John Albers, a Republican from Roswell.

Supporters of the bill say it will be used to hold perpetrators of sexual assaults accountable.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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