‘I have been privileged to meet several times with the namesake of this bill, Mrs. Debbie Smith, and honored to have Debbie and her husband Rob join me at the Kentucky State Police Laboratory last month where she explained in compelling terms the real world implications of the legislation and need for its passage.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement today following Senate passage of the Debbie Smith Act, legislation that would help to ease the backlog of DNA samples from victims of sexual assault:
“The Senate did the right thing today by passing the Debbie Smith Act, which will help speed up the testing of rape kits to solve crime, provide relief to the victims of sexual assault and help ensure that more perpetrators of these terrible crimes are brought to justice. This important bill has already passed the House of Representatives and is now on the way to the White House where President Obama is expected to sign it. I have been privileged to meet several times with the namesake of this bill, Mrs. Debbie Smith, and honored to have Debbie and her husband Rob join me at the Kentucky State Police Laboratory last month where she explained in compelling terms the real world implications of the legislation and need for its passage. It is just and fitting for Congress to pass this bill that is named for such a tireless advocate for those who suffer terrible abuse.”
Background:
Debbie Smith was the victim of a violent attack in 1989 but the rape kit used to gather evidence sat on a shelf untested for years while her attacker was free to prey on more victims. Years later, the rape kit was finally tested and Debbie’s attacker was brought to justice.
