U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
_______________________________________
News Advisory
For immediate release
Contact: Jeff Lungren/Terry Shawn
September 22, 2004
202-225-2492
Committee Approves “Justice For All” Crime Victims/DNA Legislation by Voice Vote
Measure Expected on House Floor in Near Future
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee today by voice vote approved far-reaching bipartisan crime victims and DNA legislation introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.). H.R. 5107, the “Justice for All Act of 2004,” includes the text of H.R. 3214, which the House overwhelmingly passed by a 357-to-67 margin on November 5, 2003, and some changes to the Senate crime victims legislation, S. 2329, which passed the Senate by a 96-to-1 margin on April 22, 2004.
Chairman Sensenbrenner said, “The Justice for All Act will enhance the rights and protections of all persons involved in the criminal justice system. The legislation does this through two different, but complementary mechanisms: (1) a new set of statutory victims’ rights that are both enforceable in a court of law and supported by fully-funded victims’ assistance programs; and (2) a comprehensive DNA bill that seeks to ensure that the true offender is caught and convicted for the crime.”
H.R. 5107 includes $755 million to enact President Bush’s initiative to reduce the backlog of unanalyzed DNA evidence. Experts believe hundreds of thousands of rape kits and other DNA evidence remains unanalyzed in crime labs across the country.
H.R. 5107 also incorporates the Innocence Protection Act, including authorizing $500 million over five years to improve the legal representation in death penalty cases. This legislation also includes greater access to post-conviction DNA testing as well as over $200 million over the next five years in additional grant money to train law enforcement, correctional, court, and medical personnel on the use of DNA evidence. This legislation funds research to improve forensic technology and authorizes $10 million per year in grants to states, local governments, and tribal governments to eliminate forensic backlogs.
The Justice for All Act now heads to the House floor, where it is expected to be considered in the near future.