Thank you so much, Chairman Dorgan, for chairing this, and to our witnesses.

Last year, it was discovered that Los Angeles County has the largest backlog of untested rape kits of any jurisdiction in the country.

Should we be taking more steps up front to ensure that no one has to pay for the rape kit?

Just to define this, the CSI effect, for everyone, is that juries expect this and, if they do not have it, they may think that the person is not guilty.

When we start to prioritize certain people, we create a parallel universe of justice, and that has to stop.

One of the things that I have found recently in the last 10 years--we call it the 'CSI effect'--is that juries are actually expecting to have DNA.

I always thought that one of the real beauties of VAWA is how it tried to encourage community-based responses and getting groups involved.

It happens all the time, and in our State there were proposals to do this.

I know somewhere Paul and Sheila Wellstone are looking down on us today.

I think sometimes laws and funding were set back at a time before we had this extent of the technology we have.

I think part of the successes that we have had with so many challenges ahead... is a tribute to all of you.