| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE BILL 679 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By Freeman |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | SENATE BILL 920 |
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| 6 | 6 | | By Campbell |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | SB0920 |
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| 10 | 10 | | 002697 |
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| 11 | 11 | | - 1 - |
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| 12 | 12 | | |
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| 13 | 13 | | AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29; |
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| 14 | 14 | | Title 38 and Title 39, relative to sexual assault. |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-13-118(d), is amended by |
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| 18 | 18 | | deleting "one thousand dollars ($1,000)" and substituting "two thousand five hundred dollars |
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| 19 | 19 | | ($2,500)". |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-6-113, is amended by deleting |
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| 21 | 21 | | subsection (e) and substituting: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (e) |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) The bureau shall perform serology or DNA analysis on a sexual |
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| 24 | 24 | | assault evidence collection kit within one hundred twenty (120) days of the |
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| 25 | 25 | | bureau's receipt of the sexual assault evidence collection kit from a law |
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| 26 | 26 | | enforcement agency. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) If the bureau is unable to perform serology or DNA analysis |
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| 29 | 29 | | on a sexual assault evidence collection kit within one hundred twenty |
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| 30 | 30 | | (120) days pursuant to subdivision (e)(1), then the bureau shall flag the |
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| 31 | 31 | | sexual assault evidence collection kit in the electronic tracking system |
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| 32 | 32 | | and provide the submitting law enforcement agency with a written |
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| 33 | 33 | | explanation for the delay in analysis. |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | |
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| 36 | 36 | | - 2 - 002697 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | (B) A sexual assault evidence collection kit that has been flagged |
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| 39 | 39 | | pursuant to subdivision (e)(2)(A) must be analyzed within a reasonable |
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| 40 | 40 | | time thereafter. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) As used in this section, "sexual assault evidence collection kit" has |
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| 42 | 42 | | the same meaning as defined in ยง 39-13-519. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) The bureau's inability to perform serology or DNA analysis on a |
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| 44 | 44 | | sexual assault evidence collection kit within the timeframe required by |
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| 45 | 45 | | subdivision (e)(1) does not limit the admissibility of evidence obtained from the |
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| 46 | 46 | | sexual assault evidence collection kit and is not a ground for challenging the |
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| 47 | 47 | | validity of any analysis performed by the bureau of evidence obtained from the |
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| 48 | 48 | | sexual assault evidence collection kit. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it. Section 1 |
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| 50 | 50 | | of this act applies to claims for compensation for forensic medical examinations performed on or |
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| 51 | 51 | | after July 1, 2025. Section 2 of this act applies to sexual assault evidence collection kits |
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| 52 | 52 | | received by the Tennessee bureau of investigation on or after July 1, 2025. |
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