AUGUSTA - Rep. Valli Geiger, D-Rockland, presented a measure before the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Monday that would increase access to justice for survivors of sexual assault by establishing a statewide sexual assault forensic examination kit tracking system.
The bill would create a statewide inventory of untested sexual assault forensic kits currently held in medical facilities, law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories. It would require each facility to report how many untested kits they are currently holding, including information about when each kit was collected. It would additionally establish a mechanism for survivors to learn about the status of their exam, and whether or not their kit was tested.
"It is already an incredibly emotionally taxing experience for victims of sexual violence to seek medical care, report the crime and undergo a four to six hour forensic exam," said Geiger. "It is unacceptable that these experiences often result in kits that languish for months or years in storage, not actually facilitating justice for survivors. Maine must re-examine its process so that victims of sexual assault are truly supported."
According to a 2015 Maine crime victimization study conducted by the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service, an estimated 14,000 Mainers experience sexual violence each year. However, most sexual assaults reported to law enforcement do not result in arrests, referrals to prosecutors or criminal charges.
A report by the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the University of Southern Maines Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy found that of the 448 rapes reported in Maine in 2017, 165 cases were cleared and just 74 arrests were made. The same report found that in 2018, Maine had 530 untested rape kits.
The Joyful Heart Foundation, a leading national organization for sexual assault survivor advocacy, has established recommendations for a six-pillar approach to rape kit testing reform to increase access to accountability and justice for survivors, and to minimize the number of rape kits that go untested. Maine is the only state in the nation that has not achieved any of the six pillars. LD 2129 would bring Maine closer to that goal by implementing a comprehensive tracking system for sexual assault forensic examination kits.
The Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a work session on the bill in the coming days, at which time members of the committee will have the opportunity to debate the bill before voting on a recommendation to the full Legislature.
Geiger is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents District 42, which includes Rockland, Owls Head, North Haven and part of Matinicus Isle. She is a member of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and the Labor and Housing Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Geiger], 305-965-2744