In 2019, rape kit reform continued to take hold across the country. This year alone, 103 bills were introduced in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Survivors, advocates, legislators, and many other stakeholders worked rigorously to pass laws to advance rape kit handling and processing.
As of December 1, 26 bills in 22 states and Washington, D.C. were enacted, creating or strengthening laws to improve how rape kits are submitted and tested. These laws adopted one or more of Joyful Heart’s six pillars of legislative reform to count, test, and track rape kits, and grant rights to survivors. Our six pillars of rape kit reform are:
- Inventory: Count untested rape kits annually
- Test backlogged: Test all backlogged rape kits
- Test new: Test newly collected rape kits swiftly
- Tracking system: Establish a rape kit tracking system
- Victims’ rights: Give victims the right to know the status of their rape kits
- Funding: Allocate money for reform
Comprehensive Reform
In 2019, nine states reached full legislative rape kit reform (enacting all six pillars). Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington joined Hawai‘i, New York, and Texas – adopting testing, victims’ rights, tracking, and funding pillars. With this progress, the number of states that have enacted full rape kit reform has reached 12.
Four States Passed First Reform Law
Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Wyoming passed their first laws to improve rape kit handling in 2019. This leaves only nine states—Alabama, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin—that have not addressed rape kit reform through legislation.
States Make Progress in 2019
This year we saw the following progress:
- Statewide inventory of untested rape kits was adopted in New Jersey (one time), Pennsylvania (recurring), Texas (one time), and Wyoming (recurring)
- Testing all backlogged rape kits was mandated in North Carolina
- Testing of all newly collected kits is now required in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington
- Granting sexual assault survivors the right to be notified of the status of their kits is on the books in Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
- Tracking all rape kits is required in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, and Virginia
- Appropriating state funds occurred in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina
To support these laws, Joyful Heart sent letters of support and written testimony, as well as provided guidance to legislators and their staff. Our board members, staff, and long-time supporters testified in person in California and Maryland. Staff also traveled to North Carolina and Tennessee to support legislative efforts. Advocates made thousands of points of contact: making phone calls, sending emails, and posting on social media.
These robust steps could not have been possible without our incredible Joyful Heart community. Your actions made a difference and we are grateful for all the support across the country!
2020 and Beyond
In the 2020 legislative session, we will continue to press for local and state changes to ensure the swift testing of rape kits. We are looking forward to working with partners and the Joyful Heart community to create a path to justice and healing for survivors and increase public safety in all 50 states and Washington D.C.