TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida law-enforcement agencies will have to turn over rape kits for testing within 30 days under a bill that has passed the Florida Senate.
The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday for the bill that is a top priority of Attorney General Pam Bondi. The legislation was proposed after an audit released last fall showed that as many as 13,000 rape kits have gone untested in Florida.
The legislation (SB 636) sponsored by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto would require that tests turned over to the state's crime lab be tested within 120 days after they are submitted.
A similar bill is moving in the Florida House. Legislators are also considering setting aside money to take care of the backlog of thousands of rape kits that have not been tested.
