Funding to eliminate Washington's rape kit backlog expected to be approved

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign a bill that will provide millions in state funding to hire more crime lab scientists and upgrade testing equipment in an effort to eliminate a backlog of rape kits in Washington.

Backers of state House Bill 1166 said it would provide the Washington State Patrol with funding to eliminate a backlog of more than 10,000 kits.

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It would also mean that instead of waiting months or years for lab results, kits will be processed in just a few weeks.

The bill calls for $13 million in state funding to hire 20 crime lab scientists and to upgrade testing equipment, bill sponsor Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) previously said. 

Rape kits have proven to be effective in helping solve cases. Earlier this year, a kit linked a registered sex offender living in Florida to a 2006 rape of a Seattle girl. Because of the backlog, the rape kit wasn't tested until 2018.

Read more:

• 'Nowhere to hide': Oregon clears backlog of 5,000 rape kits
• 2015: Nearly 2,000 rape kits untested in Portland
• Tests on backlogged rape kits leads to 186 arrests nationwide
• Portland rapist gets 33 years after rape kit backlog project