Victims of sexual assaults would be able to keep track of evidence in their cases as it moves through the criminal justice system, according to a bill that passed the Georgia House on Monday.
The legislation is the latest effort to empower victims after the General Assembly passed laws in recent years requiring police to save sexual assault evidence and clear backlogs of untested rape kits.
“This would give a survivor the ability to track the status of evidence from the time of evidence collection all the way through prosecution,” said state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta.
Under House Bill 255, the state government would create a tracking system of rape kits from initial collection to receipt, storage and analysis.
The tracking system would help hold perpetrators accountable, Holcomb said.
The House passed the bill 174-0, and it now moves to the state Senate for further debate.
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