A bill approved by the Kentucky Senate this week would allow sexual assault victims to go online and check the progress of forensic testing in their cases.
Senator Denise Harper Angel of Louisville referenced the SAFE Act of 2016 and said, “Kentucky has made great strides in the last few years regarding sexual assault forensic evidence.”
She said it is now time to communicate with the victims. She said Senate Bill 97 would create an online tracking process for victims of sexual assault.
State Senator Whitney Westerfield of Christian County co-sponsored the measure and says,
“The SAFE Act has done a tremendous amount of good. This is a simple addition to that bill that is going to help victims, survivors, their family, law enforcement and every other interested party in these cases.”
The SAFE Act was introduced after a 2015 report by the state auditor found more than 3,000 untested sexual assault kits in Kentucky. An acronym for “sexual assaults forensic evidence,” the 2016 legislation sought to prevent a backlog of untested kits from ever happening again.
Senate Bill 97 passes the Senate unanimously and now heads to the House.