Hatch urges more DNA funding

WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch says DNA technology promises to catch the guilty more easily and clear the innocent. But its high costs too often prevent more use, including processing the huge backlog of 300,000 rape kits nationally.

So he and a long list of House and Senate Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday to authorize spending more than $1 billion to upgrade use of DNA technology — and to finally eliminate that embarrassing backlog.

"DNA technology has the power to protect the innocent and convict the guilty and will move our criminal justice system into a new era of increased fairness and efficiency," the Utah Republican said at a Capitol press conference.

Provisions of his new Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 include:

• Authorizing $755 million in grants to help eliminate the current backlog of more than 300,000 rape kits and other crime-scene evidence awaiting DNA analysis in the nation's crime labs.

• Authorizing $500 million in other grant programs to improve the ability of local, state and federal crime labs to conduct DNA analysis, reduce other forensic backlogs, train police and others in the use of DNA evidence, support sexual-assault forensic-examiner programs, and promote the use of DNA to identify missing persons.

• Create a post-conviction DNA testing process to help protect the innocent from wrongful conviction. The bill would also improve compensation for wrongful conviction and help improve legal representation in death-penalty cases.

Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will oversee the bill, said all that is important because "DNA technology allows us to exclude innocent people as suspects early in an investigation, and allows law enforcement to focus on finding the true perpetrator."

Other cosponsors include: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., ranking Democrat on Hatch's committee; House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.; Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee; and numerous other members of judiciary committees in both houses.

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