Sean Patrick Maloney: “this bill marks the end of a very long journey to pass legislation that will put criminals behind bars and protect the…”

“this bill marks the end of a very long journey to pass legislation that will put criminals behind bars and protect the innocent. I thank the extraordinary work of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) who brought all the pieces together and the long, long leadership of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) and so many others that have brought this successfully to the floor. In the 107th Congress, I authored a bill to provide funding to process the backlog of DNA evidence after holding a hearing with Congressman Horn where a courageous rape survivor, Debbie Smith, testified. After her testimony, there was not a dry eye in the room, where she told how she was dragged from her home and brutally raped while her husband slept upstairs. After medical attention and after many years of living in fear, Debbie finally learned that DNA processing techniques had produced a cold hit identifying her assailant. But her story in many ways is a story of many women. There is great violence against women in America. Every 2 seconds, there is a sexual assault against a woman. And we know that DNA techniques can convict and prevent rapists from attacking in the future.”