For Immediate Release: December 19, 2025
Contact: Olivia Hall, media@endthebacklog.org
NEW YORK — Today, the Joyful Heart Foundation celebrate the signing of A1970A/S5225A by Governor Hochul, which expands the statewide rape kit tracking system to require hospital participation and refines kit handling timelines. We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Amy Paulin in championing this legislation, as well as our New York advocacy partners and the NYPD for their steadfast support.
As a practice now legislatively mandated in 35 states and Washington D.C., rape kit tracking creates more transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system. This essential oversight can uncover jurisdictions that fail to comply with rape kit reform laws while also highlighting specific areas in need of improvement. Furthermore, by providing survivors with direct access to the statue of their kit via victim portals, tracking systems offer a vital sense of agency which can be fundamental to their healing process.
“Tracking systems and prompt kit handling timelines are essential to a survivor’s path to healing. After leaving the hospital and undergoing an invasive exam, many survivors will never receive an update on the status of their rape kit,” said Ilse Knecht, Joyful Heart Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Director. “Every hour a kit remains at a hospital is an hour a survivor is left in limbo. This legislation proves to survivors that their cases are a priority, helping them reclaim the self-determination and control that so often follows a sexual assault.”
While Assembly Bill 976 initiated New York’s statewide rape kit tracking system in 2023, it did not include hospital participation. This lack of mandate meant medical facilities were not required to notify law enforcement when a kit was collected, nor was there a deadline for its retrieval. Without a formal requirement for reporting or collection, a survivor could leave the hospital and never hear about the status of their kit again. This new law closes that critical gap by requiring hospitals to notify law enforcement within 48 hours and mandating that law enforcement retrieve kits within three days of notification.
As the New York begins to develop the statewide rape kit tracking system, A.1970-A/S.5225-A mandates that all key stakeholders in the rape kit handling process participate, ensuring that no survivors—or their kits—fall through the cracks. This crucial legislation brings New York closer to achieving full, comprehensive rape kit reform.m,
Learn more about reform in New York at Endthebacklog.org/New-York.
If you have any questions or need more information, do not hesitate to contact our media department at Media@EndtheBacklog.org to connect with our director of Policy and Advocacy, Ilse Knecht.