I don't understand who would vote against this
Senate Committee Passes DNA Crime Bill
Tue Sep 21, 2004 07:58 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - DNA testing would be expanded to help clear the innocent and snare the guilty, particularly in death-penalty cases, under a long-stalled bill passed on Tuesday by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
On an 11-7 vote, the panel sent the bipartisan measure to the full Senate where proponents are hopeful it can be approved before Congress draws to a close this year.
The bill, similar to legislation passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives last year, seeks to address growing debate over the fairness and accuracy of the death penalty system.
The measure would require post-conviction DNA testing be made available to anyone facing a federal death sentence who proclaims innocence. It does not require the states to offer those tests, but it does give grants to encourage them.
States could also get grants to improve the quality of legal counsel in capital cases. That issue gained momentum after reports of lawyers falling asleep.
The bill also helps states clear up an immense backlog of unprocessed DNA crime samples, including what sponsors estimated is some 300,000 to 500,000 unprocessed rape kits sitting on shelves in evidence rooms around the country.
