Bill funds programs to test old sexual assault evidence kits
H.R. 10426 — Backlog Justice Act of 2026 · Filed by Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) · 19 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 16, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill sets up federal programs to test untested sexual assault evidence kits. It creates a public database. Survivors can see when their kit will be tested. The bill gives money to train FBI analysts. It funds research into new DNA testing methods. The bill requires reports on lab capacity and needs.
Who it affects
Sexual assault survivors learn when their evidence kit will be tested. States get federal money to build tracking systems.
One thing to notice
The bill does not say how states must protect survivor information. States that build systems faster may get more money.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
19 cosponsors: 15 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
- Sep 16, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 16, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- sexual assault evidence kits — Physical evidence collected after sexual assault, stored for testing
- DNA testing — A lab test that identifies a person from body cells
- database — A computer system that stores and organizes information
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (6,561 characters) on Sep 23, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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