Public Safety - Rape Kit Testing - Tracking Program and Grant Fund

SB 669 modifies Maryland's Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund to prioritize testing untested sexual assault evidence kits collected before October 1, 2020. The fund will now specifically provide resources for law enforcement agencies to test these backlog kits, fund the Attorney General's office to assist investigations, and support a statewide victim notification hotline operated by the Sexual Assault Coalition. Key provisions require the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to distribute annual funding until all pre-2020 kits are processed, with minimum funding levels unless federal grants cover the same purpose. The bill prohibits using the fund for the existing Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Tracking System. This directly affects victims of past sexual assaults, law enforcement agencies, and state offices handling sexual assault cases.