Rape evidence will be preserved indefinitely under House bill.

The Georgia House voted unanimously Thursday to preserve sexual assault evidence indefinitely until cases are solved.

The legislation, House Bill 282, calls for police to save evidence of rapes and similar crimes so that perpetrators can be tracked down even many years later. Current state laws allow evidence of sexual assaults to be discarded after 10 years.

The bill, which passed 173-0, builds on a state law passed in 2016 that required a large backlog of rape kits to be tested.

» Live: Use AJC tracker to follow Georgia bills

» Photos: Crossover Day at the Georgia Legislature

Since then, more than 3,000 rape kits have been tested and serial rapists have been identified through DNA evidence, said state Rep. Scott Holcomb, the bill's sponsor.

"These crimes change and damage lives to a degree that is really incredible,” said said Holcomb, a Democrat from Atlanta. “Now that we’ve done all this testing, it may take time, it may take even decades, to get a match to the person who did it.”

The legislation now advances to the state Senate.

About the Author

Georgia State Election Board rule on paper ballots fails in tie vote

The State Election Board on Wednesday failed to pass a rule that would establish qualifying circumstances under which Georgia's touchscreen voting system could be eliminated.

Who will replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress?

Now that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced her plans to resign, attention turns to who might replace her in Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

Firebrand state senator running for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat

State Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, announced plans to seek the 14th District seat, although it wasn't clear whether he will run in a special election or in November.

The Latest

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com