Overview
- The End the Backlog campaign, which announced Friday that Maine had enacted its first reform, now counts at least one rape kit policy pillar in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
- Maine’s enacted budget LD2212 commits $267,000 each year to create a statewide inventory and tracking system for sexual assault evidence kits.
- The six-pillar framework calls for annual counts of kits, mandatory testing of old and new kits, a statewide tracking tool, easy status access for survivors, and dedicated funding for lab work and tracking.
- Joyful Heart Foundation led the 16-year push under Mariska Hargitay, with survivors, advocates, and lawmakers such as Rep. Geiger, Sen. Bennett, and Sen. Duson driving bills across statehouses.
- Next steps include clearing backlogs, expanding lab capacity, rolling out tracking portals, and steady funding so survivors can see kit status, get notified, and move cases forward.