NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY

OFFICE OF ASSEMBLYMEMBER ARAVELLA SIMOTAS

For Immediate Release
November 29, 2016

ASSEMBLYMEMBER ARAVELLA SIMOTAS THANKS GOVERNOR

CUOMO FOR SIGNING HER LEGISLATION INTO LAW TO MANDATE
SPEEDY PROCESSING OF RAPE KITS & PREVENT BACKLOGS
New York State (NYS) Assemblymember Aravella Simotas thanked Governor
Andrew Cuomo for signing a bill she sponsored that mandates the timely
processing of rape kits throughout the state and that forensic laboratories
and law enforcement agency submit compliance reports.

The new law, which passed unanimously in the NYS Assembly and Senate in
June, was signed into law by the Governor on Monday evening, November
28th. Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, a Democrat, collaborated with
State Senator Kemp Hannon, a Republican, to craft the law after receiving
reports of hundreds of untested rape kits in jurisdictions throughout the
state.
I thank Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing this important law to mandate
the speedy processing of rape kits. When rape kits are backlogged, its like a
disease infecting the criminal justice system. Now this new law will be the
vaccine that prevents a future plague of unprocessed rape kits, said
Assemblymember Simotas.
The new law mandates that unprocessed kits be inventoried and tested and
now when law enforcement agencies receive a rape kit, it must be sent to a
forensic laboratory for DNA testing within 10 days. Within 90 days of
receiving a rape kit, forensic laboratories must complete the testing for DNA
evidence; send that DNA to the national database known as the Combined
DNA Index System (CODIS) and report results back to the submitting police
agency and local district attorney within 90 days.
"Reports of untested rape kits sitting on police agency shelves in New York
spurred this legislation. Advocate organizations, the Joyful Heart Foundation
and the Natashas Justice Project, provided a strong network of rape
survivors committed to the cause of getting the kits tested and thus
providing compelling evidence to cut into the cycle of serial or repeat
rapists. The strong leadership of Assemblymember Simotas was key in

moving this legislation," said Senator Kemp Hannon, who sponsored and
shepherded the legislation through the state Senate.

New York State needs this law to bring justice on behalf of rape survivors, to
ensure prosecution and punishment for the guilty, and exoneration for the
innocent, said Simotas.
My rape kit sat collecting dust for nearly a decade after I was raped and
robbed at gunpoint. The man that raped me was dangerous and harmed
many others. Not testing rape kits in a timely manner is a public safety
hazard. I am truly inspired and touched by the hard work of
Assemblymember Simotas and Senator Hannon that went into this life
changing legislation. This is a big day for survivors and the people of New
York, said New York resident Natasha Alexenko, a rape survivor and
Founder of Natashas Justice Project, www.natashasjusticeproject.org.
The Joyful Heart Foundation is proud to stand with
sponsors State Senator J. Kemp Hannon and Assemblywoman Aravella
Simotas and our advocacy partners who fought for the passage of this
important legislation to provide survivors of sexual assault with the justice
they deserve, said Ilse Knecht, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the
Joyful Heart Foundation, www.endthebacklog.org
Under the new law, forensic labs will be required to submit monthly reports
to the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, as will each law enforcement
agency that submits kits for testing. The reports will reveal compliance or
lack of compliance with deadlines and the existence of any untested kits.
Aravella Simotas is the New York State Assemblymember representing the
36th District, in Astoria, Queens. She took office in January 2011 and is the
first Greek American woman elected to office in New York and the first
woman elected to represent the 36th District.
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