Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act of 2020”.
Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act of 2020
A BILL
To amend the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to ensure crime victims are not denied compensation because of rape kit backlogs, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Crime victim compensation
Section 1403(b) of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20102(b)) is amended—
in paragraph (8), by striking “and” at the end;
by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
“(9) beginning not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, such program—
“(A) provides a waiver for any application filing deadline imposed by the program for a crime victim if—
“(i) the crime victim is otherwise eligible for compensation; and
“(ii) the delay in filing the application was a result of a delay in the testing or a delay in the DNA profile matching from a sexual assault forensic examination kit or biological material collected as evidence related to a sexual offense; and
“(B) does not require the crime victim to undergo an appeals process to have the application of the crime victim considered for a filing deadline waiver under subparagraph (A); and”