Public Safety - Rape Kit Collection, Testing, and Tracking Grant Fund - Alterations

SB 206 alters Maryland's Rape Kit Collection, Testing, and Tracking Grant Fund to expand its allowable uses. The fund now provides multiyear state funding to law enforcement agencies for testing sexual assault evidence kits, covering equipment, supplies, personnel, and outsourcing - both for kits collected before and after the fund's establishment. It specifically allows grants for hospitals to hire forensic nurse examiners (RN-FNEs), train staff for RN-FNE certification, improve lab capacity, and support digital reporting systems. The bill requires annual reports to the General Assembly and designates the fund as nonlapsing, ensuring continuous funding for these services.