(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s rape kit evidence tracking system moved one step closer to fruition on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 920 will soon head to the governor’s desk after clearing its final hurdle in the state House. Once live, the system will allow survivors to track their kits throughout the testing process – or “from collection to destruction.”
Prime sponsor Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Johnstown, celebrated the news in a statement issued soon after the vote, saying the bill “strengthens our commitment to empowering survivors and holding offenders accountable.”
“Establishing a rape kit tracking system in Pennsylvania will enable sexual assault survivors to monitor the status of their kits during an investigation, bringing transparency and accountability to the process,” he said.
The bill is the latest in a string of new provisions enacted over the five years to clear the state’s rape kit testing backlog. Senate Bill 920 also gives survivors the ability to request compensation for delayed testing, in compliance with the federal Violence Against Women Act.
According to a 2023 report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a total of 1,172 law enforcement agencies turned over data that shows 177 kits backlogged and awaiting testing, a 5% decrease from the year before and an 85% decline from 2016.
Processed kits, according to the report, took just over six months to complete.
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have already created tracking systems.
