AUGUSTA - All of the Democratic members of the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted Wednesday in support of a measure sponsored by Rep. Valli Geiger, D-Rockland. The bill would increase access to justice for survivors of sexual assault by establishing a statewide sexual assault forensic examination kit tracking system. Every Republican on the committee voted against the bill.
"We are failing in our basic duty to keep the residents of this state safe and to hold those who commit egregious acts of sexual violence accountable," said Geiger. "This week, Democrats made it clear that we will not stand for this level of negligence. I am deeply disappointed that Republicans on the committee were unwilling to vote in favor of this measure, but I am confident that we will secure access to justice for survivors."
Roughly 14,000 Mainers experience sexual violence each year, yet most sexual assaults reported to law enforcement never result in arrests. Geiger's bill would help Maine address this gap by improving rape kit testing practices. LD 2129 would bring Maine into compliance with certain standards set by the Joyful Heart Foundation, a leading national organization for sexual assault survivor advocacy. It would establish a statewide inventory of untested sexual assault forensic kits that are currently held in medical facilities, crime labs and law enforcement agencies. It would also establish a mechanism for survivors to check the status of their kits, and it would require the facilities to report on the number of untested kits in their possession.
The bill faces votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Geiger is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents District 42, which includes Rockland, Owls Head, North Haven and part of Matinicus Isle. She is a member of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and the Labor and Housing Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Geiger], 305-965-2744