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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland bill alters submission deadline for sexual assault evidence collection kits to forensic laboratories
Last action · March 9, 2026: Withdrawn by SponsorSponsor: Bill Folden
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 717 alters the timeline for law enforcement agencies to submit s to a forensic laboratory for analysis. The measure changes the countdown trigger from the receipt of both the kit and associated reference standards to the receipt of the kit alone, taking effect on October 1, 2026.
Changes the administrative workflow and legal deadlines for local law enforcement handling sexual evidence, impacting how quickly forensic testing processes are initiated for survivors.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
investigating law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agencies face a modified timeline and trigger condition for submitting sexual assault evidence collection kits to forensic laboratories.
survivors of sexual assault
Survivors experience changes to the statutory requirements governing how quickly their collected forensic evidence must be sent for laboratory analysis.
Key Facts
- Investigating law enforcement agencies must submit a sexual assault evidence collection kit and associated reference standards to a forensic laboratory within 30 days of receiving the kit.
- The 30-day submission timeframe is measured from the receipt of the kit itself rather than waiting for all requested associated reference standards.
- The Act applies to sexual assault evidence collection kits gathered by qualified health care providers from living or deceased persons.
- Kits are exempt from mandatory submission if there is clear evidence disproving the allegation, the facts do not violate specified criminal law provisions, the victim declines consent, or the suspect's profile is entered in CODIS following a guilty plea.
Show all 6 facts
- Law enforcement agencies are instructed to utilize certified sexual assault crisis programs or qualified community-based victim service organizations to support survivors.
- The legislation was withdrawn by the sponsor in the Senate on March 9, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Senate Bill 717 change regarding sexual assault evidence collection kits?
Are there any exceptions where law enforcement does not have to submit a kit?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 9, 2026SenateWithdrawn by Sponsor
- Feb 25, 2026SenateHearing canceled
- Feb 12, 2026SenateHearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Judicial Proceedings
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 35)
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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