Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Carla Walker Act of 2022”.
Carla Walker Act of 2022
A BILL
To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant program for certain State and local forensic activities, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Grants to improve State and local law enforcement forensic activities
Part OO of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“3056. Grants to improve State and local law enforcement forensic activities
“(a) Authorization of grants—The Attorney General may award a grant to an eligible recipient described in subsection (b) for the purpose of utilizing forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and searching to generate investigative leads for criminal investigations.
“(b) Eligible recipient—An eligible recipient seeking a grant under this section shall include a—
“(1) State;
“(2) Tribal or local law enforcement agency;
“(3) local prosecutor’s office;
“(4) medical examiner;
“(5) coroner office; or
“(6) private entity working with an eligible recipient under paragraphs (1) through (5).
“(c) Applications—An eligible recipient seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such time and in such form as the Attorney General may require.
“(d) Use of grant—An eligible recipient that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to do any one or more of the following:
“(1) Carry out DNA analyses of samples collected under applicable legal authority from crime scenes, rape kits, or other sexual assault evidence, or taken from an unidentified suspect or an unidentified victim, using advanced DNA testing technologies if such samples are ineligible for inclusion in or submission to the Combined DNA Index System of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“(2) Carry out DNA analyses of samples collected under applicable legal authority using advanced DNA testing technologies if the submission of such samples to the Combined DNA Index System has failed to produce investigative leads.
“(3) Carry out DNA analyses of any unidentified human remains using advanced DNA testing technologies if submission of such samples to the Combined DNA Index System has failed to provide an identity.
“(e) Authorization of appropriations—For each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $20,000,000, of which not less than $5,000,000 shall be made available to carry out forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and shall not be made available for staffing, training, travel, equipment, or other related overhead expenses.
“(f) Advanced DNA testing technologies defined—In this section, the term “advanced DNA testing technologies” means any technology performed in a forensic laboratory capable of producing a forensic genealogy profile with a minimum of 100,000 genetic markers and compatible with multiple genealogical databases consented for law enforcement use.”