Assigned to MAPS AS PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1055
full-service crime labs; funding
Purpose
Modifies how monies in the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Forensics Fund
must be distributed and adds requirements that full-service crime laboratories must meet in order
to qualify for monies.
Background
The DPS Forensics Fund (Fund) consists of monies collected from a six percent surcharge
on every fine, penalty and forfeiture collected by the courts for criminal offenses and civil penalties
collected from civil traffic violations of the motor vehicle statutes, as well as 25.15 percent of the
monies deposited into the Criminal Justice Enhancement Fund, the first $10.4 million collected
annually from court defensive driving school fees and monies contributed to the Fund by any other
source (A.R.S. §§ 12-116.01; 28-3396; and 41-2401 ).
DPS is responsible for creating and coordinating services for use by local law enforcement
agencies in protecting the public safety and for formulating plans with a view to establish modern
services for prevention of crime, apprehension of violators, training of law enforcement personnel
and the promotion of public safety (A.R.S. § 41-1711).
S.B. 1055 appropriates $700,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FYs 2024, 2025
and 2026 to the Fund and appropriates $200,000 from the state GF to DPS in FY 2024.
Provisions
1. Requires monies in the Fund to be distributed to all full-service crime labs in Arizona based
on the proportion of Group A and Group B crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's (FBI) National Incident-Based Reporting System, for the most recent year and
for each jurisdiction where each full service crime lab provides full service crime lab services.
2. Removes the current Fund distribution wherein 55 percent of the monies may be used by DPS
for specified purposes, with the remaining 45 percent distributed proportionally to crime labs
in Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa and Scottsdale.
3. Requires, rather than allows, the distribution of monies to each full-service crime lab to be
determined annually and removes the requirement that crime lab directors of the political
subdivisions agree on a distribution formula and allocation. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1055
Page 2
4. Modifies the definition of a full-service crime laboratory by requiring a full-service crime lab
to:
a) be operated by a criminal justice agency in Arizona or a political subdivision in Arizona;
b) be accredited by an organization that provides accreditation based on the International
Laboratory Accreditation and Cooperation G19 and standard ISO/IEC 17025 or standard
ISO/IEC 1720 or any relevant field specific standards; and
c) provide a minimum of six prescribed forensic disciplines, one of which must be in DNA,
digital forensics or drug toxicology.
5. Specifies that a full-service crime lab must have at least one full-time forensic scientist rather
than regularly employed forensic scientist.
6. Appropriates $700,000 from the state GF in FYs 2024, 2025 and 2026 to the Fund to be
distributed among each of the full-service crime labs as prescribed.
7. Appropriates $200,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to DPS for crime lab services.
8. Exempts the $700,000 and $200,000 appropriations from lapsing until December 31, 2026, at
which point any unexpended monies revert to the state GF.
9. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Changes the distribution of monies in the Fund to be distributed to each full-service crime lab
based on the number of Group A and Group B crimes reported in the most recent year by each
full-service crime lab to the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System, rather than the
percentage of the state population served by each full-service crime lab.
2. Adds an appropriation of $700,000 from the state GF in FY 2024, FY 2025, and FY 2026 to
the Fund to be distributed among each of the full-service crime labs as prescribed.
3. Adds an appropriation of $200,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to DPS for crime lab services
as outlined.
4. Exempts the appropriations of $700,000 and $200,000 from lapsing until December 31, 2026,
at which point any unexpended monies revert to the state GF.
Senate Action
MAPS 2/8/23 DP 6-1-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 21, 2023
ZD/KS/sr