Virginia Archives

Governor Ralph Northam signed House Bill 808 into law last week, which makes sweeping improvements to support and provide resources to sexual assault survivors, and enhances the state’s current response to its backlog of untested rape kits. The Joyful Heart Foundation (Joyful Heart), a national leader in the effort to reform rape kit policies across the country, today praised the move to require that hospitals report annually to Virginia’s Department of Forensic Science the total number of patients seen, sexual assault kits offered, and examinations completed.

The Joyful Heart Foundation, a leader in the effort to provide cities and states with the resources they need to address their backlog of rape kits, this week applauded the passage of Virginia SB 291, which takes meaningful steps to address the backlog of untested rape kits in the state. DNA evidence is an invaluable investigative tool.