H 4836 Massachusetts House · 193rd Legislature (2023-2024)

An Act to establish a DNA exception rule for victims of rape

This bill allows prosecutors to file charges for certain rape offenses even if the standard time limit for filing has passed. It applies specifically to cases where the suspect's identity was discovered after the deadline using DNA evidence collected from the crime scene. The law requires that DNA evidence kits be kept for at least 15 years to support these potential future prosecutions. This change directly affects how sexual assault cases are handled when new DNA technology or records help identify suspects long after the original crime.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jul 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jul 10, 2024 Last action Jul 22, 2024
Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Jul 22, 2024
Lower · Passed
Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting
lower
Jul 10, 2024
Lower · Passed
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
lower
Jul 10, 2024
Lower · Passed
Reported from the committee on The Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 23 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.