Gov. Polis signs bill meant to help Colorado tackle sexual assault kit backlog
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday intended to improve to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations' capacity to review sexual assault kits, which include DNA samples and other evidence from survivors.
Senate Bill 25-304 establishes the Colorado Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Evidence Review Board, which will review the effectiveness of the state's medical, legal and criminal response to sexual assault and make victim-centered recommendations to the Colorado Legislature.
The governor and attorney general have until Aug. 1 to appoint members of the board, including representatives from state agencies and various organizations that advocate for sexual assault victims. The board will need to submit a preliminary report to the Legislature by Dec. 15.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Law enforcement agencies overseeing sexual assault criminal cases will be required to update victims on the status of their kit every 90 days. The bill also sets a 60-day turnaround goal for crime labs reviewing forensic medical evidence from sexual assault kits. The agency's current goal is 90 days, which it expects to achieve in 2027. The estimated turnaround time for kits at the end of April was about a year and a half, with 1,369 kits in the backlog, according to a recently implemented data dashboard.
Colorado's forensic services are facing a historic backlog of sexual assault kits due to reduced staff capacity and ballooning fallout from the discovery that a former CBI forensic scientist manipulated more than 1,000 DNA test results over her career. The backlog means delayed justice for survivors, as DNA evidence can often be critical for a criminal conviction.
The bill originally would have created a full-time position to oversee the state's work to improve the kit review process, but it was amended to reduce spending given the tight budget year. Sponsors include Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, and Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Finnish pol Eemeli Peltonen, 30, found dead in country's parliament after taking his own life
A Finnish politician has been found dead after reportedly committing suicide in the country's parliament, according to local reports. Eemeli Peltonen, 30, a first-term member of parliament for the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SDP), had been suffering from a kidney disease and was on sick leave when he took his own life on Tuesday morning inside Finland's Parliament Building in the capital Helsinki, Finnish outlet YLE reported. Police were called to the parliament just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday after reports that an MP had committed suicide inside the building, and Peltonen was identified later. Advertisement 'The passing of Eemeli Peltonen deeply shocks me and all of us. He was a much-loved member of our community and we will miss him deeply,' chairwoman of the SDP parliamentary group Tytti Tuppurainen said in a statement on Tuesday. 'A young life has ended far too early. We share in the grief of the relatives and wish them strength in their time of mourning.' 3 Finnish MP Eemeli Peltonen, 30, has been found dead inside his country's parliament. Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images The exact circumstances surrounding the young politician's death have not been released. Advertisement In his final social media post in June, Peltonen had spoken of his health struggles after being unable to work for much of the spring parliamentary session. 'In May, I got good care at Helsinki University Hospital for kidney problems that suddenly appeared in me, which were diagnosed as minimal change disease. After this, I had time to stay home for a few weeks and prepare to return to everyday life,' he wrote on Instagram. 3 Police were called to the Finnish parliament building in Helsinki on Tuesday morning. LEHTIKUVA/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'Later, however, it turned out that I unfortunately contracted bacteria during the treatment period. To control the bacteria, I was started on an intravenous antibiotic course… which will take time. At the same time, the treatment of my kidney problems will continue,' he wrote. 'I have already been discharged from the hospital, but due to the situation, I am on summer sick leave and am now fully focused on recovering from my illness,' he added. 3 Peltonen, who was elected in 2023, had been suffering from kidney disease. Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images Peltonen was elected to Finland's parliament in 2023 for Uusimaa, the region surrounding Helsinki. Advertisement He had been a politician since he was a teenager after he was elected to his local city council at 18. He graduated from the University of Helsinki with a Master's degree in political science in 2020.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Democratic 2028 hopefuls should start campaigning now instead of waiting
Put the target on your back. All Democrats who are even remotely thinking of running for president in 2028 must throw their hats into the ring now. There is no need to wait until the last minute, teasing a run until 2027. If democracy is truly at stake, as every Democrat feels it is, then you need to start fighting now. We have seen a remarkable amount of inaction from the Democratic leadership in Washington. The hours-long speeches that really don't do anything, TikTok dances and endless fundraising without anything to show for it has left the Democrats polling worse than President Trump. And Trump is not polling well at all. The Democratic establishment has continually projected a weak and ineffective aura, and voters have noticed. Even with the unpopularity of Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill, ' anger over his immigration actions, and uncertainty over tariffs and Russia, the Democrats are not guaranteed to have a big swing in the midterms. We have seen some Democrats play at taking the fight to Trump but still waffle when it comes to directly challenging him. And that is a problem. This is a new age in American politics when old conventions have flown out the window. There is no need to wait and see. There is no need to have exploratory committees and visit primary states just to hang out. And there is no need to not speak up if you truly think you can do better. Trump announced his 2024 campaign two years before the actual election, but let's be honest — he was running back in 2021. He held rallies, raised money, traveled all over the country, engaged with foreign leaders, and most importantly campaigned in real time that he was a better alternative to the sitting president. Trump led all anti-President Joe Biden talking points on everything from Ukraine, immigration, energy, inflation and the budget. Let's focus on Ukraine. Trump did a great job of convincing the American people that the war would never have happened on his watch, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not to be trusted, that the U.S. was just handing over billions of dollars and that he would be the better leader in this situation. It worked. The U.S. was extremely partisan when it came to Russian aggression, with some Republicans parroting Kremlin talking points — not because they like Vladimir Putin, but to stay in Trump's good favor. America now waits to see the fallout from Trump's meetings with Putin and Zelensky. But what they won't get is a Democrat telling the world what he or she would do differently in real time. Yes, we will get plenty of 'Donald Trump Bad' takes from plenty of Democratic politicians. But what we need is specific individuals who would tell us what they would do differently if they were president. Americans don't need to know Trump is bad. They either know he is, or think he isn't. They want someone who is willing to say, 'This is what I would do differently and better and that is why I am running.' Showing yourself as an alternative to Trump isn't the only benefit to announcing early. It also gives you a chance to set the Democratic agenda which, quite frankly, is nonexistent. A major problem with Democrats is that they really don't have a set position other than that Trump is bad. There are plenty of Democrats with great ideas who have been frustrated by the lack of clarity from party leadership. So there is no need to wait for their approval. We have already seen the party establishment take shots at Zohran Mamdani, the left-learning Democratic nominee for mayor of New York. Mamdani is still polling well. Why? Because people know what he stands for. Declaring oneself as a candidate now allows any contender not just to weather the attacks from Republicans but also to present their personal idea for a nationwide liberal platform. Why wait for a Democratic convention in which a party will try to represent themselves as the party for everyone while representing no one fully? People are looking for people to fight not just against Trump but for the soul of the Democratic Party. There is no doubt there are cracks in Democratic unity. We are not unified on Gaza, immigration reform, balancing the budget, paying off the national debt, or a myriad of other issues. And those cracks need to be addressed now, before midterms. I guarantee that House and Senate leadership won't even broach issues in a meaningful manner. But individuals like Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Wes Moore of Maryland, Andy Brashear of Kentucky, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania can. We can hear what former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will bring to the table as candidates. We can also learn what New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, California Rep. Ro Khanna, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would do differently if they were in charge. They can also get in front of donors. No, not just the big time, fancy meal in mansion donors. But the millions of donors who are eager to back a winner. Trump fund raised non-stop for four years after losing in 2020. He built up a massive war chest and donor base that allowed him to steamroll any pretenders in the primaries. Every other Republican who wanted to challenge him waited until 2023 before they announced. It was over before it started. Nikki Haley, who sought to reclaim the Republican Party, was behind before she even had a chance to gain any ground with donors and voters. For 2028, we have no idea if Trump will attempt to circumvent the Constitution and run again. We have no idea if Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or any other pretender will run. They are all at the mercy of Trump. Choosing to announce now instead of in 2027, will allow any Democrats to weather the attacks from Trump and his base. Trump won't wait to try to bring someone down and that will allow any contender time to absorb and recover from his attacks. This is something that Kamala Harris was not able to do with her 100-day campaign. Any Democrats announcing their run sooner can also drive a massive wedge into the Republican Party by calling out those who want to run in 2028. If Newsom, Harris, or Brashear started attacking Vance as a presumptive nominee, you can bet that Trump will take that personally and start cutting the wings off any Republican rivals before they can fly. Democrats are tired of waiting to see what happens. They are looking for someone to follow, rally around, fight for, donate to, and feel seen by. They need fighters now. And they want someone brave enough to put the target on their back officially and be willing to weather the storm for the next three years. They want someone to fight for democracy now, which is why any hopefuls should start announcing sooner rather than when it's already too late. Jos Joseph is a published writer and is a graduate of the Harvard Extension School and Ohio State University. He is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq. He currently lives in Anaheim, Calif.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Georgia Republicans, against backdrop of 2026 election, push to eliminate state income tax
ATLANTA (AP) — As the 2026 election looms, Georgia Republicans seeking higher office met Tuesday to begin exploring plans for Georgia to eliminate the state's personal income tax. The Republican contenders for lieutenant governor sat on the committee spearheaded by Republican Burt Jones, who currently holds the role and is running for governor with U.S. President Donald Trump's endorsement. 'If we want to continue to stay competitive in the state of Georgia and continue to be the number one state to do business, we've got to be looking for ways to keep us competitive and make it where we have a competitive advantage over states that we are competing with all the time," Jones said. Most of the lawmakers on the panel praised the idea as one that would help working families and small businesses after hearing from Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a prominent conservative lobbyist for tax cuts. Currently, eight states, including Florida and Tennessee, don't tax individuals' income, according to the Tax Foundation, a tax policy think tank. Other states, including North Carolina and Louisiana, have reduced income taxes or are on their way to eliminating them. In Georgia, Democrats oppose the idea, saying it would benefit the wealthy rather than low-income people, who would face other levies. Atlanta Democrat Sen. Nan Orrock said Tuesday that eliminating the income tax would hurt vital services across the state by reducing state revenue, especially amid federal cuts to programs such as food stamps, education grants and disaster relief. 'I can go on and on with needs that we have now in many areas that would argue for having a robust revenue to meet the needs of our citizens," said Orrock. Norquist said states still generate revenue after cutting income taxes. One reason is that when businesses know states are on track to eliminate income taxes, he said, they start investing there, and residents flock over too. 'When you attract more people into the state and more investment into the state, you end up with both more money for individuals but also more tax revenue at lower rates,' said Norquist. Georgia income taxes are expected to bring in $20 billion for the state in 2026, accounting for almost half of state revenue, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law this year income tax rebates of up to $500 and a reduction in taxes to 5.19% in January for all income earned in 2025. That's part of a long-term plan to cut Georgia's income tax rate to 4.99%, which could happen as early as next year. The law already took Georgia's former system of tax brackets and created a flat income tax. The state has also paid rebates on income taxes to taxpayers in recent years, thanks to billions in surplus cash, Higher-income taxpayers collect the most benefits from income tax reductions. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found two-thirds of the income tax cut benefits would flow to the highest-earning 20% of Georgians. Republicans said that was only natural because most Georgians in the lowest 20% of the income distribution are mostly exempt from state income taxes. Democratic gubernatorial candidates haven't ruled out tax reductions. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has suggested eliminating the state income tax for public school teachers, but said eliminating income taxes altogether would hurt funding for schools and raise costs for lower-income families. Republicans are still forging ahead. 'While the mechanics are up for debate, I think it's clear that the end goal is not,' said Sen. Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who is running for lieutenant governor.
