Debbie Smith Act of 2023

The Debbie Smith Act of 2023 reauthorizes a federal grant program through fiscal year 2029 that provides funding to state and local governments to process backlogged DNA evidence. This program specifically targets the "rape kit backlog" by helping crime laboratories analyze evidence from unsolved sexual assaults and other violent crimes more quickly. For citizens, this means law enforcement can more effectively use DNA databases to identify suspects, solve "cold cases," and exonerate the wrongly accused, ultimately aiming to increase public safety and provide justice for survivors. While S. 499 was the Senate version of the bill, the identical House version (H.R. 1105) was signed into law in July 2024.