New Jersey lawmakers approve bill to test all rape kits
While state officials had long claimed New Jersey had no backlog of untested rape kits, News 12 found thousands of kits gathering dust because prosecutors were choosing not to have them tested.
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It’s a new day for survivors of sexual assault in New Jersey.
New Jersey lawmakers unanimously passed legislation that will require all rape kits to be tested, if survivors want them tested.
The legislation is the result of a three-year Kane in Your Corner investigation, which found prosecutors were choosing not to test thousands of kits, even as the state was claiming it had no backlog.
The state Senate passed the legislation 38-0 Monday. The state Assembly previously passed it by a 74-0 vote.
Sponsors say they expect Gov. Phil Murphy to sign it before his term ends next week.
“I’m excited that it passed, but mostly excited over the fact that people will now get justice that didn’t see it before,” said Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union), the bill’s sponsor.
The legislation is also a victory for the Joyful Heart Foundation, which advocates for sexual abuse survivors nationwide. The group had rated New Jersey among the worst states in the country when it came to treatment of survivors. It says after this legislation and other reforms, New Jersey is now among the best.
Cryan credits the News 12 investigation for inspiring change.
“I want to begin by thanking you and the team for your incredible work on this,” Cryan said. “The investigation that you guys did, brought out this issue, which frankly, had victims of rape waiting and often ignored by the system. It was the impetus both for the attorney general’s directive and this legislation.”
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