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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina Mandates Sexual Assault Kit Status Updates and Notifications for Victims
Last action · March 12, 2025: Ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: von Haefen and 32 others
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What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina grants victims of sexual assault the legal right to know the testing status of their examination kits and requires the State Crime Laboratory to establish tracking procedures and send mandatory notifications before kits are destroyed or testing is declined.
Sexual assault survivors gain a statutory right to direct updates from testing facilities regarding physical evidence gathered in their cases, shifting communication responsibilities onto state laboratories starting October 1, 2025.
- Sexual assault examination kits, commonly known as rape kits, contain physical and biological evidence collected during medical exams following an assault. context
- The State Crime Laboratory in North Carolina handles forensic analysis for criminal investigations across the state. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
sexual assault victims
Victims gain the legal right to receive testing status updates and mandatory notices regarding whether their examination kit will be tested or destroyed.
State Crime Laboratory
The laboratory must develop and implement new administrative procedures for tracking contact information, providing status updates, and issuing notifications to victims.
Key Facts
- Victims have the right to know the current testing status of any sexual assault examination kit submitted to the State Crime Laboratory or an approved laboratory.
- The State Crime Laboratory must develop procedures allowing victims to exercise their right to status information.
- Victims must be notified if a determination is made that their kit cannot be tested.
- Victims must be notified if a decision is made not to test their kit for reasons other than inability to test.
Show all 7 facts
- Victims must be notified if a decision is made to destroy their kit.
- The State Crime Laboratory must establish procedures for gathering victim contact information and delivering notifications.
- Victims bear the responsibility of ensuring the laboratory maintains their current contact information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for keeping contact information current for updates?
What events trigger a mandatory notification to the victim?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Mar 12, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Mar 12, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
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
Show 28 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Notification for Evidence Destruction
The legislation establishes an affirmative statutory duty for state testing facilities to notify victims before destroying sexual assault examination kits.
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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