ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland General Assembly has passed a measure to require rape kits to be tested.
The House gave the measure final approval on Friday in a unanimous vote. That sends the bill to Gov. Larry Hogan.
The bill requires law enforcement to send rape kits to a crime lab for testing unless there is clear evidence disproving an allegation, the victim declines to give consent for analysis or the suspect’s profile has been collected in a national DNA database.
A law enforcement agency would be required to submit a kit to a forensic lab within 30 days of receiving it.
The General Assembly also has passed a measure to create a grant program to help law enforcement pay for more testing.
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