Senate passes bill giving states grants for conducting audits on DNA backlogs

The Senate passed a bill allowing the U.S. Attorney General to give states and localities more grants to audit their backlogs of DNA tests in the cases of sexual assaults.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry Act or SAFER Act — S. 3250 — which amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to states or local governments to conduct audits of samples of sexual assault evidence that are awaiting testing, provided such government submits an audit plan that includes a good-faith estimate of the number of such samples.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced a bill, S. 3715 on Sunday and the measure passed by unanimous consent on the same day. That bill would extend the limited anti-trust exemption contained in the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act.

The Senate also passed server land-use matters being considered by the Senate Energy Committee by unanimous consent. A list of those bills follows:

S. 2015, the Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act

S.3563, a bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to modify the Pilot Project offices of the Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project

H.R. 3263 Lake Thunderbird

H.R. 3641 Pinnacles National Park

H.R. 4073 Pikes Peak

S. 264 Natchez Trace conveyance

S. 2015 Powell Shooting Range

S. 3563 Pilot Project Renaming

S. 1047 Leadville Mine Drainage

S. 1421 Peace Corps Memorial

S. 1478 Minuteman Missile NHP

S. 499 Bonneville Unit

S. 970 White Clay Creek WSR

S. 140 Sleeping Bear Dunes

S. 114 San Antonio Missions

S. 970, White Clay Creek passed by voice vote.

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