ENDTHEBACKLOG News: February 2016

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President Obama Includes $41 Million for Rape Kit Reform in Budget Request

On Tuesday, President Obama announced his FY17 budget proposal, which included $41 million in funding for the U.S. Department of Justice’s community-based sexual assault response initiative. These federal funds will build upon the investments made to address the rape kit backlog in FY15 and FY16, and provide much-needed support for more communities as they work to end their backlogs and secure justice for survivors.

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Legislative Landscape of Rape Kit Reform: 2016

Across the country, the 2016 legislative session is in full swing and 18 states have already introduced bills that would change the way rape kit evidence is handled. Curious if your state is committed to ending the rape kit backlog? In this month’s blog, we examine the landscape of rape kit reform.

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Drafter’s Checklist for Rape Kit Reform

In the past year, several states have committed to rape kit reform by introducing and enacting legislation that establishes clear policies around rape kit handling. ENDTHEBACKLOG has developed a checklist that covers the critical provisions that should be included in any comprehensive rape kit reform.

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Rape Kit Reform in the New Normal 2021
As the globe shouldered another Covid year in 2021, the shadow pandemic of the increased number of sexual assault and domestic violence cases created major safety concerns for women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color. The labs also got busy with testing for Covid, leaving fewer resources for rape kits. Despite the capacity challenges and increasing number of sexual assault cases, legislators introduced 56 bills in 33 states to achieve one or more of Joyful Heart’s six pillars of legislative reform to count, test, and track rape kits, and grant rights to survivors.