Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This amendment would increase by $4 million the bill's funding for grants to address the backlog of sexual assault kits at law enforcement agencies. DNA analysis has been revolutionary in helping to catch criminals and prevent crimes from occurring because of DNA evidence. This evidence does us no good if it remains untested and sitting on a shelf in a lab somewhere. Despite progress over the last few years, and much progress most recently, there are still thousands of rape kits that remain untested-- potentially hundreds of thousands. That is potentially hundreds of thousands of victims whose assailants are never brought to justice left to prey on yet more women. Last year, my hometown paper, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, highlighted the tragic need to end this backlog once and for all. It described a serial rapist who was finally caught by police in 2012. He could have been stopped nearly a decade earlier if only his first victim's rape kit had been tested, but that kit wasn't, and, instead, he was able to attack five more women over the next 8 years. Missed opportunities like this happen all across our country every day. The trauma inflicted on victims of rape can be compounded when they know that their assailants run free while critical evidence goes untested. Fortunately, efforts are underway to reduce the backlog, and they are making a difference.…”