SACRAMENTO- Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley)’s proposal to allow taxpayers to help reduce California’s rape kit backlog passed the Assembly Revenue and Tax Committee on a unanimous vote yesterday. Assembly Bill 280 would add a check-off box to personal income tax forms to allow taxpayers to donate a portion of their income tax return to accelerate the process of testing backlogged rape kits. The bill is sponsored by California State Board of Equalization (BOE) Member Fiona Ma, CPA.
“Following the unimaginable trauma of sexual assault, many rape victims endure an invasive and hours-long physical examination in the hope that their perpetrator will be brought to justice,” said Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley). “Leaving rape kits untested adds insult to injury and could prevent sexual predators from being held accountable for their crimes.”
A rape kit examination is a painstaking, hours-long process where blood, urine, fingernail clippings, hair and swabs from the mouth, genitals and anus are collected. A victim’s clothes and underwear are bagged as evidence and photos are taken of her body. Once the nurses complete the kits, they are turned over to the police for evidence.
However, according to a 2014 California State Auditor report, thousands of rape kits in our state sit unanalyzed. As of 2016, there were approximately 400,000 rape kits backlogged nationally. In some California counties, there are as many as 1,900 untested rape kits still sitting on shelves in storage units while those victims continue their painfully long wait for justice.
The presence of a large rape kit backlog means that many victims will never receive the justice they deserve because their key evidence is sitting in a storage room. Not only does the rape kit backlog affect victims of sexual assault, it creates a safety risk for the community because the predators are still on the street.
Assembly Bill 280 would add a check-off box to personal income tax forms that allows taxpayers to donate a portion of their income tax return to the Rape Kit Backlog Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund. The bill would give taxpayers the option to help local governments fund the testing of these rape kits, which, in turn, can help keep our community safe.
“We need to assist rape victims to find the justice they deserve. AB 280 will allow the public to help these victims by voluntarily donating their income tax returns. These funds provide additional resources for law enforcement to process the mountains of rape kits waiting to be tested. It is unconscionable to tell a victim she will not receive the justice she deserves due to a lack of funding,” said California State Board of Equalization Member Fiona Ma, CPA.
Following its passage out of the Revenue and Tax Committee, Assembly Bill 280 moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
