DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that will require law enforcement in Iowa to respond to a survey aimed at determining the number of untested rape kits around the state.
Branstad signed the bill into law Wednesday. It passed with unanimous support in the House and Senate.
The Iowa attorney general’s office released an electronic survey recently to authorities aimed at understanding the storage and potential backlogs of untested sexual abuse evidence collection kits. They’re using a $2 million federal grant to get the scope of the issue and to test as many kits as possible. The new law will require authorities to respond to the survey.
The federal government pledged at least $40 million last year to deal with backlogs of rape kits around the country.
