Ann Wagner: “I thank Chairman Issa for yielding. I thank the chairman of the full Committee on the Judiciary, Jim Jordan, for his…”

“I thank Chairman Issa for yielding. I thank the chairman of the full Committee on the Judiciary, Jim Jordan, for his leadership and collaboration with my office in ushering this bill through the Judiciary Committee under thorough regular order. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bipartisan and bicameral bill, H.R. 1105, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023. No woman should ever have to experience the trauma and the pain of a rape or sexual assault. Yet tragically, these crimes are far too common, and approximately one in four women will experience this horrific crime. There must be accountability, Mr. Speaker. That means identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting the attackers to the fullest extent of the law. One of the most important methods of investigating these crimes is through DNA analysis. However, in 2019, the Government Accountability Office found that backlogged DNA analysis requests at State and local crime labs increased by 85 percent over the last decade, and the most recent data estimates that 200,000 sexual assault kits across the country remain untested. This is absolutely unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. My bill, H.R. 1105, addresses this issue directly. H.R. 1105 is a straight reauthorization of the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program through fiscal year 2029.…”