An Act To Ensure Thorough Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Assault
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §3822 is enacted to read:
§ 3822. Forensic examination kits; process time frame; report
(1) A hospital licensed under Title 22, chapter 405; or
(2) A health care practitioner who is licensed by this State to provide or is otherwise lawfully providing health care or a partnership or corporation made up of such health care practitioners.
Sec. 2. Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause. In the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, chapter 407, in the chapter headnote, the words "transportation and storage of forensic examination kits for alleged victims of gross sexual assault" are amended to read "transportation, storage and analysis of forensic examination kits for alleged victims of gross sexual assault" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Police to process a forensic examination kit within 180 days of receipt of a kit that has been used to obtain forensic evidence from an alleged victim of sexual assault or within 180 days of receipt of consent to analysis of that kit by the alleged victim of the sexual assault, whichever occurs later. The bill requires the State Police to conduct annual audits of forensic examination kits and to report to the general public and to the Legislature by July 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, regarding the status of analyses of forensic examination kits in the possession of the State Police.