bill about reporting on evidence collection kits

The text as introduced · 374 words

89R2957 MCF-F

By: Howard
H.B. No. 1775

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to reporting information regarding certain evidence

collection kits.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 420.034, Government Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (h) and adding Subsection (i) to read as

follows:

(h) Not later than December 1 of each year, the department

shall submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker

of the house of representatives, and members of the legislature

identifying the number of evidence collection kits :

(1) that have not yet been submitted for laboratory

analysis or for which the laboratory analysis has not yet been

completed, as applicable ; and

(2) that a law enforcement agency did not take

possession of within the period required by Section 420.035(b) or

(c), as applicable .

(i) The annual report required by Subsection (h) must be

titled "Statewide Electronic Tracking System Report" and must be

posted on the department's publicly accessible Internet website.

SECTION 2. Section 351.257, Local Government Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 351.257. REPORT. Not later than December 1 of each

odd-numbered year, a response team shall provide to the

commissioners court of each county the response team serves a

report that includes:

(1) a list of response team members able to

participate in the quarterly meetings required by Section

351.254(c);

(2) a copy of the written protocol developed under

Section 351.256; and

(3) either:

(A) a biennial summary detailing:

(i) the number of sexual assault reports

received by local law enforcement agencies;

(ii) the number of investigations conducted

as a result of those reports;

(iii) the number of indictments presented

in connection with a report and the disposition of those cases;

[ and ]

(iv) the number of reports of sexual

assault for which no indictment was presented; and

(v) the number of evidence collection kits

described by Section 420.031, Government Code, that a law

enforcement agency did not take possession of within the period

required by Section 420.035(b) or (c), Government Code, as

applicable; or

(B) an explanation of the reason the response

team failed to provide the information described by Paragraph (A).

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.