Altered bill on rape kits moves through Nevada Legislature

CARSON CITY — The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Friday moved the language for rape kits into a different bill.

The committee on Friday amended Senate Bill 169, which would require each law enforcement agency to have a rape kit tracking programming and submit kits to labs within 30 days of receipt. Labs are required to test the kits within 180 days, under the bill.

Those requirements were shifted from SB169 to Assembly Bill 97, which has other provisions overseeing forensic kits for victims of sexual assault.

AB97 is now in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Assembly Judiciary Committee chairman Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said he’s confident that AB97 will make it out of committee and onto the Assembly floor.

“I know it’s a priority of this Legislature,” he said.

SB169 will continue moving forward with a provision making it a crime for employees and volunteers with child welfare agencies to have sex with minors 16 or 17 years old and under the agency’s care. The crime would be a felony that could warrant a prison sentence of one to five years.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.